The Hit List
by Animefreak557
Summary: In a world where fascism reigns supreme,there exists something known as the Hitlist. Each rulers write down the name of an enemy of the state,and hitmen are tasked with removing them.When Feliciano and Lovino Vargas,grandsons of an influential Italian man end up on the Hitlist, it would seem that they had no chance. Until they befriend two of the hitmen sent after them that is...
1. Chapter 1

_Danke_- Thank you

_Bitte_- Your Welcome/Please

_Deutschland_ - Germany

(^し^) _Become one with me, da~_

_I don't own Hetalia~_

_The Hit List Chapter 1_

Twelve year old Feliciano had no idea how he and his thirteen year old brother, Lovino, got into this situation. Was it because they sometimes skip out on their morning lessons? Perhaps it was just another form of karma. But whatever it was, it's a living nightmare. What did they do to get this treatment? Nothing… The memory of that unfaithful horrendous night was like a hazy dream. Remembering only the most memorable and frightening parts of that dream. For instance, the tear gas that made their eyes and throat burn, the screams of household servants that were loyal and supportive for their grandfather's uprising, and the violent gun shots that echoed throughout the estate eventually hitting their grandfather in the chest. Lovino tried calling for help with Feliciano's assistance, but nobody alive was present to save them. Placing their hands on Grandpa Roma's chest, they tried to stop the bleeding, but the warm oozing liquid continued to soak his shirt. Soldiers began to flood the room once the a cry of victory was made.

But what exactly did they do wrong? So here they are, sitting in a black van with smears of rusty blood on their clothing, hands and feet cuffed like a criminal, with the feeling that everything won't be alright. The younger twin woke up to find his unconscious brother leaning on him. Seeing that he was okay, he smiled. At least Lovino was alright. Inhaling to take a sigh of relief, a familiar scent soiled his nose. He looked at the remainder of the van to figure out where it was coming from, hoping to find the source. His eyes trailed the pile of bodies that were neatly stacked and roped up in disfigured positions to the blank open eyed stare of Grandpa Roma.

"AHH!" a jolt of fear hit his body. He expeditiously attempted to yank out of the iron chains, "W-why?! You killed my Grandpa! What have we ever done to you!?" This shook all of the foreign soldiers causing some of them to drop their pen or book on the floor. Picking up their utensils, they watched the young boy in annoyance as he kicked and screamed in his language. A soldier came up to him, kneeled down and tied rope over his mouth. Feliciano's face got flustered and he got tired due to all the energy he has used up that day. Once the young Italian was worn out, the soldiers continued doing their jobs like nothing happened.

Feliciano felt sick to the stomach. Why did they want them to live and for everyone else to die? He and his brother are all they have left, but he felt so weak; wanting the selfish desire of parental protection. Hot tears ran down his face while he cried silently to himself, wishing for Lovino to wake up so that he could tell him, "It's alright Feli".

Something suddenly tapped Feliciano on the leg making him jump up with surprise. Glancing to lap he saw that it was a bloody hand from the pile beside. Suddenly the hand gripped the young boy's palm ever so lightly. Snapping his eyes open, Feliciano eyes made its way to the owner's arm- Grandpa Roma. His grip was shaky, as if he was using all the strength that he had saved for this moment.

"Hmp!" Feliciano's quiet voice quivered in the rope with a tad bit of excitement. Grandpa's blank stare forcefully turned into a sad but hopeful smile. "Feli… quiet- we don't want them to hear" he hitched out with a whisper. "Life will be harder for you and your brother, but you mustn't give up on our dream. If only Lovino was awake to hear this..." he stopped for a moment to take a struggling deep breath. Feliciano gripped his hand tightly and gave him looks of perturbation, but listened to every word, knowing that this was Grandpa's last conversation with him. The elder continued even though his chest ached with godforsaken pain after making sure no was listening, "I've feared that something like this would happen, that's why I have hidden your heritage in a secret place that only I know of. You are to use it to rebuild the Ambassadors' Headquarters and gain power to overthrow the Dictatorship countries that did this to us…" His eyes began to droop into his eternal sleep after he dropped hazel rings in Feliciano's hand. "These are the keys." Feliciano looked down in his hands and he looked at the rings with confusion.

"… your heritage is locate-", he stopped once more, only longer than the previous stops.

Feliciano fought his way out of the rope, and shook Roma's arm panicking "What is it, Grandpa! Please finish!" Roma when back to his stare that he had before, but this time it wasn't a fraud.

"Was machst du?!" one blonde soldier shouted. His heavy footsteps couldn't match the beating of Feliciano's heart, so without thinking, he leaned down and put both rings in his mouth under his tongue. When he confronted the Italian boy he continued to yell at him, but of course Feliciano didn't know what he was saying. All the boy could do was stare and pray that he doesn't hit him. Weight was suddenly lifted off of his shoulder and a slight yaw was heard behind him.

"Lovino!" His only family… was okay.

Lovino looked around and began to gag slightly at the sight of dozens of corpses in one setting, including Grandpa. But unlike Feliciano, Lovino doesn't like showing weakness.

"Who the hell are you?" Lovino snapped at the blonde soldier that clearly had no idea of what they were saying, yet they continued to bicker and fight. It would seem that Lovino was winning until, the blonde pulled out his handgun from his holster pointing the barrel at his heart.

The older twin was awestruck. He sat there wide eyed like a kitten without his mother. Both brothers looked at the man in fear earning the armed soldier satisfaction. He placed the gun back into the holster, and he pulled down his uniformed jacket walking away.

Lovino stared at the back of the man and started to shake. Never in his life had he felt so useless! Feliciano grabbed his brother's hand to alleviate the building stress that he had to endure. But he knew he had to tell him everything, even if it kills both of them they had to fulfill Grandpa Roma's dying wish.

Like mentioned before, a living nightmare. All of those bad people that your parents warn you were after the young Vargas brothers. They finally reached their final destination: The Empire of the Greater German People. When the van entered the city, the natives cheered and waved their red, yellow, and black flags in the air. They could hear cheering outside the moving van as well as the inside. Pats and handshakes were exchanged when the van went to a complete stop. Only the brothers made it to these lands, for the soldiers had to bury the most of the bodies. Soldiers on the outside opened the back of the vehicle and gave a humane nod to the soldiers and a pat on the back.

Untying Feliciano and Lovino's ankles, they threw them out of the truck to the earthy surface of the mushy warm mud below. A roar of laughter filled the evening sky when the soldiers forced them to stand again. Mud and dirt covered their faces and matted their amber hair into a sickening coal black. Pushing them to keep going down the streets of Germany to the dictator courts, the citizens threw little pebbles of rocks at them.

"Fratello! It hurts!" Feliciano whimpered, guarding his head and the back of his neck as they were pelted by more stones.

"Just keep going!" Lovino shouted over the loud roars of supposed threats.

Feliciano's legs began to grow weaker and the more he walked the more he began to limp, but he knew he had to keep walking. It feel it like he was about to die. He and his brother haven't been fed enough for his liking, so he had little strength… Why can't they see? We didn't do anything to anyone to hurt anyone! Then he started slowing down. He was emotionally and physically exhausted; he had never had to deal with so much before, and it was very nerve wracking. He passed out and fell on the ground with a 'flop'.

The city's people continued to throw rocks and stones at him when he fell to the ground, leaving him with even more bruises forming on his frail body. German soldiers continued to yell at them in the background of all the chaos, but all Lovino could hear was his heart pounding furiously. He quickly ran by his brother's side and tried to help him, but was stopped by the dangling chains.

"Get up Feliciano! You have to get up!" For the first time in years he shed tears for his younger brothers. Squatting down to encourage Feliciano to keep going, one of the soldiers roughly pulled him away from his brother and started to repeatedly kick Feliciano in his stomach- shouting and bickering to his poor brother. The citizens of the town are horrid. Never in their lives have they come across such heartless people. In the corner of Feliciano's eye he saw the people of the town trying to get to them- to hurt them, but the only reason that they hadn't done so was because the soldiers and government held them down. The soldiers that were supposed to escort the the brothers slowly started to abandon Feliciano. Thoughts flooded throughout Lovino's head. They were so cruel to leave Feli! Just watching his brother get treated like that, it felt like Hell itself.

Gathering the last bit of strength he dragged his feet to his sibling, and once again squatted down but facing away from him.

"Feli, get on." Feliciano's arms made it way to his shoulders and gripped its way around his neck. Shakily, but surely, Lovino got up and started walking to everyone's surprise. The crowd booed and shouted unholy things at the preteens. They were clearly not happy that they hadn't broken the two boys' spirits.

Today is the day that Lovino understood the true meaning of hatred, and suffering. He would avenge Grandpa Roma. He would bring the Vargas name honor again. He would _never_ forgive the people who did this to them.

Pebbles and stones continued to hit their heads and backs like an unending rain. But this didn't stop Lovino. "Let them enjoy their victory," he whispered. "One day, we will be the ones throwing those bloodied stones! These people- no, these monsters- they will suffer." Lovino carried the weight of his brothers until his passed out of exhaustion, letting the blanket of darkness overcome him.

* * *

><p>"Lovino- wake up!" Feliciano shook his brother from his sleeping state. This place was clearly not the brutal town or the smelly van. It looked more like a dungeon, but it's a lot cleaner compared to the stuff they see on T.V. Their bodies felt a tad bit better from the lack of ropes and chains during their ride. Lovino's eye groggily started to open as he asked in an inaudible tone, "Where are we?" He tried getting up but it was practically impossible for him to do so, due to the enormous amount energy he had to use in order to make it close enough to their destination.<p>

"Ve~ fratello! Lay down! You're hurt!" Feliciano tried to reach out to help him, but was rejected by Lovino with a slap on the hand. "Not as much as you!" he looked away after stating that. His younger brothers set his hands down and placed them on his lap, looking at the other side of the cell. A sharp ache fell upon his stomach causing him to slightly furrow his brows in pain. Feliciano faced his body away from his brothers so that he wouldn't notice, but that plan was ruined when he let out a ragged, uncontrollable cough.

"FELICIANO!" Lovino made his way towards his brother's to aid him in any way. Gagging Feliciano spitted out two rings: the rings that Grandpa Roma gave them. "I had to swallowed the rings when we got out the van...", he looked up and softly smiled at his brother, " If I hadn't, they would've taken it away probably..." Feliciano managed to say in-between his coughs. The more he coughed, the harder it became for him to breathe. Gradually his stomach began to hurt. "You really are something pulling that move! Don't do that it isn't safe". But he had to mentally thank Feliciano. If they lost those rings they would've been screwed. "Really fratello I-" he pulled away his hand to find blood covering his palm.

"You call that okay!?" Lovino made a desperate attempt to get up and lay his brother against the cold stone wall. After doing so, he cursed under his breath and lifted up Feliciano's shirt up to look at the damage done to his brother. Red and light pink gashes covered Feliciano's stomach Lovino's eyes widened as he held back tears.

He couldn't protect Feliciano. His own younger brother... the only one that stood by him when everyone despised him. He dropped his head down and lightly hugged his brother, making sure that he wouldn't hurt him. "Sorry… I'm so sorry. Forgive me. I'm sorry..." he began to weep.

"Uh? Fratello, I'm okay! See, see! I'm ok-" tears rolled down Feliciano's cheeks as he started to think realistically. No one will save them. Grandpa was more than likely lying to them to make them hopeful of living. But just like what Grandpa said, life will be harder for them. No more watching T.V. until midnight. No more eating pasta and sleeping in. No more happiness. No matter how much pain he is in right now, he's even more upset for disappointing Grandpa and Lovino all those times. He promise that he won't forget to clean up his room! What did he do to receive this treatment? He doesn't know…

BANG BANG BANG!

Lovino quickly lift his head from Feliciano's chest to look at the guards that was standing there, unfazed by their bruises and bloodshot, watery eyes. Behind the German soldiers, there stood a figure that clearly showed staus. The soldiers yelled out a weird chant of celebration, "_Hagel Roderich Edelstein_". The figure stepped into the moonlight to reveal him wearing a similar uniform like the soldiers, but with medals covering his right breast pocket. His shoes were nicely polished as if he had never set foot into the outside world. He smiled and started speaking in broken Italian, hands folded behind his back. "Because of your family's tyrant behavior, you are forced to carry the shame of carrying the Vargas name." He stopped to look at the brothers before smiling more. "But we will spare you if you work for us. I am told that your Grandfather kept treasure deep in the Mediterranean. If you would like our protection and your life you would tell us everything you know."

"We don-" Lovino was stopped by the leader. "No- Not to us, but our machinery." He turned around and began walking off before saying something in his native tongue. "_Ja der Herr_!" the soldiers saluted to their leader and opened the cell to roughly get the Vargas brothers out out. "Hey whatcha' doing you retard!" Lovino yelled out insults, but that was all he could do. He'd rather yell and curse them in a language that they don't know then to communicate in the one language that they can understand: violence.

All they would remember were the blinding lights, the confusing broken down Italian that the German soldiers used to ask them questions of their Grandpa's treasure, life at the Vargas estate, and personal questions, using a machine that was attached on their temples, fingers, and chest. Their experience was a blur but all they knew was that the "leader" said that they were telling the truth, so now they are in one of the servant dorms, changing into their German clothing. It's not that they were complaining, but the clothing that the maids provided looked very childish and feminine. Just like a maids outfit. When they got out snickers from the maids and guards filled the hall.

The brothers already knew that this was going to happen. It's not very common in Italy for men to wear women's clothing . Feliciano looked at his feet in shame. He wishes that everyone would stop laughing, staring, and glaring at them.

Lovino grabbed the young boy's hand and smiled, "Feliciano, head up, back straight, and look strong. This is what they want… remember about Grandpa's dying wish." He lifted their hands to show the hazel brown ring that Grandpa Roma gave them.

Feliciano smiled, "you're right, Lovi!" He followed the guard and looked forward ahead. If Lovino can be strong and think positively, than he will do the same! "Ve~!"

"What did you say?"

"Ve~! I don't know! It just slipped out of my mouth! I am just happy!"

Lovino smiled and walked side by side with his brother. For now on, he will be tougher to protect his brother. He is the only person in the world that loves him.

Sadly, they did not know of the trials they would come across to in their search for happiness.

* * *

><p>"Lovino! Don't take him away!"<p>

They were in the main hall surrounded by dozens of officials and dictators from different countries. The room was quite spacious, but not big enough for brothers to escape. It was a hopeful thought, but they already knew that they couldn't escape. The large double doors were heavily guarded, leaving them with no chance of escape. The "leader" of the German soldiers was actually the dictator of The Empire of the Greater German People. Lord _Roderich Edelstein III_ promised them that they would be safe and that they were in the clear!

"You lied! You said that we will be safe and together!" Two guards forced Lovino to the ground when he made another attempt to run to Feliciano.

"You've mistaken. I said that you'll be under our protection and that you'll keep your lives if you cooperate with us." With a sigh of annoyance he rose his hand to sign them off.

"Take him away".

"Where are you taking him?" Feliciano tried to run to his brother but stopped when his stomach began to have that sharp pain again.

"Remember! Don't forget me!" Lovino was picked up by one of the servants. But before he was taking away, he gave Feliciano one more sad, determined smile. "Be confident! Don't let them step on you..."

"Ti amo, fratello!"

"Ti amo..."

SLAM!

The door closed and so did Feliciano's childhood. That night they led Feliciano to his servant quarters: a narrow room with one bed, and a big window that showed the bright city below. Off in the horizon he could see the vehicle that carried his brother. "Ve~" He touched the glass window and leaned against the frame and cried. "Fratello!"

Feliciano held his stomach and he closed his eyes. If he didn't think about food then he could forget that he is hungry. He held his stomach. "Ve~ I want...pasta."

"Maybe I could get some grape juice and some food from Grand-" Oh wait… He isn't home…

CLATER. SLAM! Snapping his head to the direction of the sound, he found a hot plate of sausages. But they were a little bigger than sausages. A grin spread across his face as he hopped off the bed, dress fluttering behind him, and ran straight to the plate. Grabbing a sausage, he opened the door to find a boy, talking to the guards that were watching his door; roughly his age. At the sound of the door creaking open, he turned his head to Feliciano. The Vargas's amber eyes meeting his sky blue eyes. The young man had blonde hair that reflected light. It was down, slightly hanging over his brows.

"Who are you?" he looked down at his plate and then back to him. "Why?"

Of course unaware of what the Italian was saying to him, he started to walk off embarrassed. "Ah!" trying to find the right words for thank you in German.

"Bitte!"

There was a moment of silence. The guards and the boy looked at Feliciano with a odd look.

The blonde looked at him with confusion, but started to hold in a chuckle. Maybe he knew what he meant. But why was he laughing? Did say the wrong thing? He guessed he'd never know. After being forced into the room again he felt his stomach grumble again.

"Food!" he reached down and grabbed one to put in his mouth.

"This is terrible..." he sighed in discontent, "ve~"

Behind the door stood the shy blonde listening for any response of 'her' liking his favorite meal; wurst. "Questo è terribile..." Even though he didn't know what 'she' said, it sound like 'she' liked it! The German boy smiled and walked off with his guard and maid.

"_Frau_ Zelma, do you think she liked it?"

"I am sure she loved it Master Ludwig! " the young lady smiled at him and they continued to walk, exiting out of the servant quarters. "But why exactly are you stepping out of your way to give her that?"

"She has been through a-"

"But still, Master Ludwig. You have a kind heart but you shouldn't mess with her… she isn't of German bloo-"

"Don't finish that statement! Why can't people see that we are equal beings! I am not judging her for what bloodline she came from!" he sighed and stopped walking looking forward with a daze. "She walked with pride and was happy even though the whole staff was being disgraceful to her. She is what we need for a greater Germany!" he smiled recalling that memory of the brothers, walking hand in hand in the hall pasting all the people who laughed, cursed, and glared at them.

Miss. Zelma wrinkled her nose, stopping the two before they reached the top of the scarlet steps that lead to a good amount of conversational people. Putting her hands on her hips, she frowned. "Why were you in the servant quarters?"

"I was looking for you, remember?" he said shyly. That's true, how could she forget that the young boy went out looking for her to help find his practice gun for school.

"But Master Ludwig those were the-" she had to stop herself. Lord _Roderich Edelstein III_ told all of the staff that the children that live in the estate, who were not of age, should not know of the political happenings. Not even of Vargas's grandchildren. They must focus on more important things, like mathematics and combat.

"They were what?" Ludwig asked, arms crossed.

She let out a sigh and continued to walk with the german boy, "nothing dear! It's just I think she will cause you trouble later on." Zelma smoothed out her curly, shoulder length, light brown hair that hung shamelessly over her onyx eyes. She slid her hair back into her bandanna cap and curtseyed to the passing officials.

With a bashful grin, Ludwig began talking once more, "good! Now what language was she speaking again? Was it Italian?"

"Yes, Master Ludwig."

"Fantastic! I shall learn it! I believe _bruder_ Gilbert was learning it for his next mission in Italy! Perhaps I should ask him..." Ludwig thought out loud. Gilbert might be busy since he was recently assigned to a hit list.

"Yes, Master Ludwig..."

This would be the perfect way for him to interact with a foreigner! Ludwig has never met one up until now, so it'll be enthralling for him to learn more about the Italian. The ultimate chance for him to learn a different culture was literally at his door step. Grabbing the little courage he had, he asked, "may we set up a date that we can visit her? I think she should try learning our language! It would be beneficial know German to work with the other maids, so if we can..." he looked down to his feet and started to twiddle his fingers.

"Yes Master Lu- what! No! You must focus on your schooling and rankings!" she went on and on. Anything that would protect him. He shouldn't get attach to her; it'll make things harder for the both of them. If only he knew what fate has in store for the both of them...

* * *

><p>I hope everyone enjoyed this! I will have to thank my editor!<p>

Frau Wolf!

She is so great! She helped me with the background information~

~My friend did something weird... My friend didn't know that my account was still open, and when she reviewed, my buddy reviewed as Animefreak557 not themselves~ My buddy... (= A =lll)...really? So weird..

~Animefreak~( = 3 =)


	2. Chapter 2

The second chapter of The Hit List is below this HQSC (Humorous Quick Summary of Chapter). But by all means look into it! ( =3 =)

**Humorous Quick Summary of Chapter 1! By my good friend, FrauWolf! It's great to have a little humor before this story don't you think? Enjoy this humorous intercept of the Hit List Chapter 1. **

RECAP in

3….

2…

1….

Let the randomness begin~

Veneziano: My Grandpa's dead and my brother and I got kidnapped by Germans! This is awful.

Rome: Actually I'm surprisingly fine considering I got shot in the chest.

Veneziano: But Grandpa how is that possible?

Rome: …

Veneziano: …

Rome: You need to find that inheritance I left you, because I was super paranoid and hid it in the middle of nowhere. You'll need these plot-device rings, so keep them safe. *Dies*

Veneziano: Grandpa no… Ve~

Romano: We didn't need him anyway.

*Later*

Citizens: OMG THESE CHILDREN SUCK LET'S BEAT THEM WITH STONES

Romano and Veneziano: Omg this sucks ow.

Veneziano: Being hit with rocks is tiring, I'm just going to take a nap in the street

Romano: Fratello, we are going to show these German's up even if I have to carry you

Veneziano: Ve~ getting carried sounds good. *Gets on brother's back*

Romano: GOD I HATE ALL OF YOU PEOPLE!

*Later*

Romano: I'm in so much pain right now.

Roderich III: I'm going to force you to work for me because I better things to do with my life then do work. Also I want all your Grandpa's money.

Veneziano: We don't really have a choice, do we?

Roderich III: No, now shut up and put on this maid outfit.

Germany: OMG the new maid is so hot I don't know what to do! I'll give her food!

Veneziano: I miss my brother, my grandpa is dead, I look like a girl, and the food here sucks.

AND THUS BEGINS THE STORY OF VENEZIANO'S LIFE.

* * *

><p><em>Let's get serious, I do not own Hetalia.<em>

_The Hitlist Chapter 2_

_Sleep_. That was what Feliciano needed. It had been the twelfth night that he had suffered from the same nightmare. It had been no ordinary nightmare: it was his memory of the past few weeks, being played over and over again, tormenting him as he slept. He did his best to not mention anything about it, since no one would understand him even if he did say something about it. So he would normally stay quiet and copy whatever the other maids were doing. But that only worked out for little while. He tended to get in their way when he tried to help. Eventually, it reached the point that they would just throw the broom to him, signing to where to sweep, while they did their own work.

After a while, the work became easier for Feliciano. He learned all the places in the estate that were off-limits to him (after _Frau _Zelma gave him a few slaps on the wrist), and he knew all the people he had to curtsy or make way for when they pass: everyone. Feliciano wondered if everyone knew that he was the grandchild of Roma Vargas. Most people of high status would pass him and give him a quick glance before looking forward again. Even this made him smile. At least they are nice enough to leave him alone, unlike the guards that followed him everywhere.

Feliciano finally finished the job for the morning. He let out a sigh of exhaustion and he starting walking towards his room again. Today the estate was very crowded, with far more people visiting than usual. They were dressed in the colors of the German flag: red, black, and gold. Most were dressed in their most formal attire. Feliciano thought of how it used to be at home, about how directly it contrasted with what he was seeing there. Of course there were a lot of people, but they didn't carry the liveliness that the officials in Italy had. They were passionate for a change there, and they knew what they were fighting for! As for here, they seem to be very well mannered and had a debonairly personality. When he made his way up the stairs he heard someone call out, "_Italien_!"

The young boy turned around to face the same blonde child from the first day and a few other new faces. Feliciano curtseyed and stood there to await their command. The blonde blushed and backed away, but was pushed forward once more to the maid. Clearing his voice, he said in uneasy Italian, "Hello, my name is Ludwig. It is nice to meet you. What is your name?" He stuck out his shaky hand out, waiting to Feliciano to take it.

The Italian boy stared at him in shock. He took the time to learn his language to say hello to him. Ludwig was the first person to ever try to learn his name… The maids would call him all kinds of things, even though he repeated his name to them multiple times, breaking down each syllable. The maids would just go back to calling him names in German and giggle amongst themselves. Feliciano smiled and leaned down to kiss the quivering flabbergasted boy. In the background Ludwig's two companions gasped and started smiling like two goofs. Breaking loose, Feliciano grabbed Ludwig's hand and started shaking his jellied hand.

"Ve~My name is Feliciano!"

"Strange name. It almost sounds like a name for a male in a way...", Ludwig thought. The Italian's eyes shined with acceptance and he soon let a gentle smile flow on his face. Snapping out of it, Ludwig made an attempt to repeated Feliciano breaking down the syllables , "Ve? Fe-li-ci-ano-" Shaking his head Feliciano repeated his name, but without the Ve~. "Feliciano." Ludwig furrowed his brows and and repeated the italian's accent and name, "Feliciano?"

"Ve~ great! Ludwig!" The German boy smiled and tried to say another conversational greeting to him before he was rudely interrupted by his maid, Miss Zelma. She pushed the boys up the stairs and passed the little 'girl' with a "hmp".

Feliciano continued up the velvet steps after a few minutes to make sure that he wouldn't come across that maid again. Did she hate him for doing something? Whatever it was, it must've been horrid for her to treat him like that. He was finally at his door. He reached in his apron pocket on his dress and grabbed the key for the door. Walking in he found a note that was more than likely slid under the door. Feliciano locked the door again to make sure no one was watching. He picked up the plain white note from the ground to observe it.

Opening it he found a letter that simply had his name written on the front ,in very neat printed handwriting …

"Feliciano"

The Italian was very confused, so he opened the envelope at little more. There were flat rose petals in its pocket… _Did he try to give me a rose?_ He looked at the small crack between the door and the floor, and smiled. Of course it wouldn't fit Luddy! Giggling at the thought of Ludwig trying to stuff a rose into the crack made his day. He looked at the petals and felt his eyes get slightly water. He has made his first friend in Germ- wait no! The red petals fell down from his palms as the painful memories came flooding in once more. Crimson blood that was smeared on the van, just like his and his brother's shirt when they were trying to stop the bleeding of Grandpa's chest. Their burning throats and eyes after exposure to the tear gas that was released throughout the vineyards during their escape. The corpses, festering and rotting, that rode in the same vans as them for six days straight- God! That memory crushed his chances of having any peace of mind for quite a long time.

He was crying now, unable to choose sides. Feliciano doesn't know whether or not will it be wrong to befriend a German that was loyal to their dictator; the leader that killed off his friends and families. But… why would Ludwig have to be brought into this madness? Feliciano smiled sadly and wiped his eyes. Ludwig was just like Feliciano… He hadn't done anything to hurt anyone else. So, why should he blame him? Feliciano sat on his bed and realized that he was understanding the true meaning of peace and neutrality. He really wanted it for his brother, for his deceased family, and for Ludwig. His finger ran across the ring on his hand remembering the promise that he and Lovino made on the day that they were separated.

"Grandpa, please watch over Lovino and I… because," he looked out the window and felt his face light up, "we will avenge you and fulfill your desire. We are getting closer to our goal".

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Feliciano was taken out of his thoughts and looked up from his ring to face the door. Jumping off of his bed, he quickly made his way to the door. He turned the knob to find Ludwig standing there with his hands behind his back with his slightly irritated maid. Nervously, Feliciano glanced to a nearby standing guard waiting for his approval to step out of the room, as always. With a grunt and a small nod from the guard, Feliciano came out to face his visitors.

The _Italian _smiled at Ludwig before giving him a bow, "Ludwig!" He wants to communicate more with the blonde but his German was very limited at this time. Trying to figure out something to say, the boy was interrupted in mid thought, with a 'bling' from the little technical device that was in Ludwig's hand. This caught his attention. He stepped forward to see what his new friend was doing, but was stopped by the click of one of the guard's gun. More than likely it was a warning for, "stay away", or "know your boundaries". Stepping back, he continued to watch Ludwig tap on the touchable screen with the slyness of a fox.

Once he was done, the same 'bling' came from the touch screen repeated for about five times before stopping completely. The guards allowed Ludwig to give Feliciano the object, which surprised all of them. It seems like they were also interested in what it was. Looking at the object, Feliciano gasped with awe. This was the popular touch screen that everyone was talking about at school a month ago! He rubbed the black fabric cover and then the screen. Amazing! Ludwig then took it away from him to show him the other uses of the tablet. He went on an app that had the picture of a globe, and typed a german sentence in a narrow white box, before pressing the green arrow key.

An hourglass appeared on the screen then it disappeared replacing it with a phrase in his language, and a robotic sounding noise that said, "keep this to communicate with people in the estate". Feliciano's amber eyes suddenly sparked with joy! With a bob of the head from Ludwig, he gave the device to Feliciano. "Ve~!" Feliciano chanted with joy. Now it will be easier for him to communicate with people throughout Germany! Copying the steps that Ludwig did, he gave it back to him at the exact time the computer said, " Thank you so much Ludwig!" in the german language.

Feliciano waited for a response from the german. There was a long pause from the taller boy. Perhaps he had done it wrong, or maybe the computer was acting up. It seemed pretty fine to him. It sounded like the language but-

BLING.

"You're welcome!"

Feliciano looked back down to the tablet to find it already translated into Italian. He guessed it worked judging on the smile on his face. For a couple of hours they sat in the hallway typing and passing audioed notes. It was rather fun for the most part. It was the first time during his stay that he was able to talk to someone in his language. After the clock struck three o'clock in the afternoon Ludwig's maid ,_Frau_ Zelma, couldn't wait any longer. She was force to stand quietly beside the guards while she waited for Master Ludwig to finish his visit with Feliciano. With a sigh of victory, she quickly yanked the tablet out of Ludwig's hand and placed it into Feliciano's lap.

With a few snaps to the blonde, the maid dragged him out the servant quarters complain and bickering in their native language. Ludwig waved off and said his biddings before disappearing behind the corner of the hall. "Ciao!"

Feliciano walked back inside of his room and looked at the last sentence that Ludwig was going to submit. Clicking the green arrow, the hour glass appeared ,and like always it was replaced with the translated sentence of their language. The computer began to read it out loud, " Do you want to work for me? I am sure Miss Zelma wouldn't-". He looked at the text and replayed the audio clip over and over again. Is this real? The work load would be so much easier for him! No longer would he have to be bossed around by the older maids, and no longer would he be abandoned! He clapped his hands once then let out a soft, "Ve~". Ludwig was the best!

The rest of the evening was peaceful for him. He already completed all his work for today, so he didn't have to worry about those bullies. He prefer to stay in his room and look outside his window to scheme of the things that he would have to accomplish. One for a fact, he has to find Lovino and go back to Italy. Secondly, he needs to find all of the kids that he use to play with in the Vargas estate: the ambassador's grandchildren: Kiku Honda, the grandson of the ambassador of Japan; Arthur Kirkland, the grandson of the ambassador of The United Kingdom of Great Britain; Matthew Williams, the grandson of the ambassador of Canada.

All this thinking was making his head spin… Deciding that it would be a grand idea to take a nap, he laid his bruised body under the covers, and closed his eyes.

Gentle taps on the door sented shivers of anxiousness when Feliciano heard this, covers over his head. He looked at the tablet that was sitting peacefully on the small desk top, then looked outside. "10:32 p.m," he mouthed as he slowly got out of the bed. His eyes widen, surprised that he slept that long. But it was his first time in a while sleeping peacefully, without having that repeated nightmare. It's sort of late, although he did stay up later than this in Italy. Should he answer it? Rubbing his eyes, he got out of the bed and grabbed the knob. Behind the door revealed Ludwig, his only friend in the world besides his brother. A smile was painted smugly on the Italian's face, but was soon replaced with a frown.

How did he get there? The servant quarters are blocked off after nine, so how did he get in? Feliciano gazed at the unconscious guards throughout the hallway dumbfoundedly. "Wha-" before he could say anything Ludwig quickly grabbed his hand and took them back into Feliciano's room, quietly shutting the door.

"Why did you come here Ludwig?" Of course the German boy had no idea what he was saying but he had a clue, judging on Feliciano's reaction. He pulled two wireless objects out of his pocket and placed one of the headband-like accessory on his head. Doing the same for the shocked Italian, he pressed it's side button to activate it.

"Can you understand me?"

Feliciano looked up in amazement. Ludwig knows his language? Now they can both talk to each other quicker without passing the tablet around like a hot potato.

"Yeah!" feeling the headband he started to rejoice with radiance, " I-I do!" Feliciano felt so excited! It was like Christmas all over again! To make sure that this was real, he decided to pull off a tongue-twister for his dear friend Ludwig, "Can you understand this? She sells shee shells she shee-" blushing Feliciano waved his hands in defence realizing that he wasn't good at tongue twisters.

With a nod from Ludwig he corrected 'her'. "Do you mean 'she sells sea shells by the sea shore'?" Feliciano's eyes sparkled with delight. He reached out for his friend and gave him an electrified hug, "Ve~! Thank you, thank you!"

Very shyly Ludwig pushed Feliciano off of him. He turned his head to hide his deep blush. He gained the courage to speak up to Feliciano saying, " Y-your welcome " Breaking up his hug from Ludwig, Feliciano asked him, "Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?" Bright amber orbs met his deep sky blue. Noticing how very little space that was between them, he cleared his throat and took a few steps back. Scratching the back of his head he begins, "Um... tomorrow is a very special day for me…"

"What is it?"

Grabbing both of Feliciano's hands he explained thrilly, "I have been working hard for years for my dream job and-"

"How old are you?" Italy stared at him with question. He can't be that old, right? Is it normal for kids to get a life long job? He made a mental note in his head, "make sure that all children have a clear conscious of what they will be to contribute the Italian government".

"I'm fourteen" Ludwig answered, "the appropriate age of serving the Empire of the Greater German People," he finished, crossing his arms in a prideful manner.

"Wow! You're so cool! But what is the job?" Feliciano sat on his bed, playing with the hems of his dress.

Ludwig sat on the floor as if he was bracing himself for the news. "I am an inductee for becoming a hitman! The youngest in history to be chosen for such an event! That means I might be able to work with my older brother Gilbert when he gets home from Italy!" Feliciano clapped his hands in delight. Even though he has no idea what he was talking about he had to feel happy for his friend, but he stopped in mid clap remembering the guards outside.

"Ludwig, what exactly did you do to the guards?"

"I simply knocked them out with a rag covered in chloroform..." Ludwig said this simply, as if knocking people out with chloroform was a simply and normal affair.

Feliciano forced out a smile and choked out, "That seems like that might be dangerous, you know that… right?" Ludwig nodded. Seeing that this started to freak Feliciano out, Ludwig said, "Don't worry, the hitmen are trained to knockout marks without killing them, so they'll _most likely_ be fine."

That still didn't help, so Ludwig decided to change the subject. "Well, the main reason why I came here was to see if the rumor was true." Feliciano continued to listen to Ludwig's statement, rocking his legs back and forth on the bed, in the pale moonlight. A blush came across his cheeks when he carried on, "Every hitman inductee that became a hitman, had the blessing of the person that they liked… my brother did it too, but his lover went back to Hungary awhile ago." He looked down at his shoes and then back to Feliciano's eyes, "And so I was wondering could I get that blessing from you?"

Feliciano got on the floor along side with him and asked, "Why do you want my blessing when we only met two weeks ago? Plus there a lot more prettier girls b-"

Before Feliciano knew it, he was already in the arms of his german friend. Ludwig deepen the hug and said with a stutter, " W-well, you're pretty Feliciano. Don't put yourself down like that…" Feliciano broke away and said, "Ve~ this is the first time that anyone told me this!" People at home normally called boys "handsome", but Feliciano assumed that the translator just had an odd choice of words.

"Luddy, I'm going to give you my blessing! Good luck with accomplishing whatever is needed to get your dream job!"

For the next hour they talked, and the more they talked the more fascinated they were with each other. Funny, sad, and serious stories. They shared them all, but Feliciano made sure not to say anything about his family being murdered by his people; he was afraid that Ludwig would view him differently after he mentioned something about it. of Ludwig later said his biddings, pulled out a black mask, and scurried out the quarters, leaving Feliciano in a even happier mood. He once again closed his eyes and made his way under the covers.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Feliciano jolted up from his bed holding his stomach in pain for the sudden movement. Trying to get up he swung his legs off the bed lazily and made his way to the door. "Um, hello?" he peaked his head out the door to see the same group of guards that escorted him and his brother to hall that they were later split apart at. In the back Lord _Roderich Edelstein III _stood there meekly as he made his way to the front of the group.

"Hello, Feliciano! I'm glad that you are doing fine in your-" he stopped to look into her narrow room, "_lovely_ headquarters." Feliciano gave him a look of doubt and worry. He doesn't know whether or not he should trust him or despise him. Maybe it was both…

Stuttering, the boy glance at them behind the door. He built up his courage to ask, "Why are you here-" he began, eyeing him with a hint of terror. His face then harden when he tried to force out his name, "-_Lord Edelstein?" _ The way he said his name made it sound like he was spitting poison, but the man merely ignored it, for he was very used to threats much worse than this. He wiped his glasses and slid his hair back to get the very few strands of hair that were over his eyes.

"Besides me, you are our guest of honor for tonight's banquet!" he turned around to face the couple of maids that held a series of designer clothing. He said a few things in German to the middle aged ladies and they bowed in response charging into the room. The headband that Ludwig gave to him earlier wasn't on his head. Instead it laid on his bedsheets. What were they doing? Reaching out for the tablet to do just that he was stopped by the two ladies undressing him.

"Wh-wh-what are you doing?" they continued striping him bare until he was in his undergarments, throwing everything he wore in a nearby hamper. Before they began dressing him again, they gasped at all of the dark marks that were on his chest and stomach. Feliciano felt his hands cover his body as he made the biggest attempt to hide himself from the women. It was like they thought he was a girl! They bit their lips and patted him on the shoulder after taking everything in. Seeing those bruises, they began to dress him like they were dressing a baby. One of the maids pulled an undershirt over his head and help the boy put on his black stockings, which was quite difficult for him to accomplish since this his first time putting them on. Afterwards they buttoned up his white cotton dress for him after many failures by him, of putting the right button in the hole. He was seriously starting to think that everyone thought that he is a 'she'. But maybe it is for the best… he'd rather work inside the house with maids than do manual labor with the men, so perhaps Grandpa was right. He and Lovino might be okay…

Finally, the rather itchy outfit was complete- consisting of a white dress, white shoes, and a brown ribbon in his hair. It was simple. Feliciano hate to admitted it, but he was getting use to the female clothing the the compound was providing them. He didn't feel that embarrassed like how he would normally feel on an everyday basis. Following the maids out the room, he saw that the guards were waiting side by side in their uniformed places. They began to walk out the servant quarters and into the very packed hall. The lights were bleam and classical music placed in the background. Foods of all kind was being served by servants to conversating people. Putting his hand on the golden bar of the staircase, the maids guided Feliciano down the steps when suddenly an announcer shouted something that made everything stop. Feliciano mouthed the phrase again to realize that his name was mentioned.

Looking down the steps he expected the audience to start throwing their champagne glasses and bottles at him. But that never happen… maybe one of them is going to start shouting threats and death threats to him? But even that never happened. He stopped in his tracks to only be met with a maid gentle pushing me forward. His legs felt like jelly, and his breathing was shaky. Something isn't right. It didn't feel right. Before reaching the bottom, a maid slowly gave him a white mask. Turning towards her to face her, Feliciano noticed that the maid's eyes showed a small spark of discomfort.

At the bottom of the steps, he was met with a dozen different children at the bottom. Each one wearing a black mask, and grey/white clothing similar to what he has on, but less dressy. Up on the deck stood Lord _Edelstein_, adjusting his detachable mic on his uniform, and giving it minor small taps.

He stood there with a genial smile as he continued to speak. The dictator seems very happy today.

Today was it. Ludwig has been working for this for half of his life and he was going to become a hitman as of today. He is now going to be able to take down those who would destroy the natural cause of creating a better Germany! So here he is, standing hand in hand with his older colleges, making history just standing here. If he passes the test then he would be the youngest hitman in history. Smiling at the thought of it the announcer then interrupted his thoughts.

"The hit list for today's enrollment test for hitmen inductees. Treason for being part of a family uproar against The Empire of the Greater German People! Three million dollars in trust funds lost and stolen by the Vargas family. Punishment: labeled as a hit lister!"

Ludwig sneered. Such a low life! How can one person do this much damage to the Greater Germany? Glancing up in the corners of his eye to see the tyrant buffoon, he was nudged by one of his older comrades.

"Fe-" at the exact moment, both men talked making it harder for him to hear the name quite clearly.

"Ludwig, do you think it'll be unyielding out there?"

Darn it! He didn't hear the name! Nudging his classmate back, he asks him, "did you hear the name?" His collaborator shook his head, and explain that he wasn't really paying attention to it. The blonde shrugged it off, but quickly turned his head to the direction of the light taps that was placed on a microphone. All he has to do it shoot down the person dressed in white. Realizing that it is their fellow Dictator, he listened carefully to the upcoming news.

"Greetings everyone! Today is the celebration of victory. We have finally captured the heir of the Vargas estate, but we are not done yet. In gratitude, we are going to let our future hitmen kill this scoundrel and forever bring down the Vargas clan!" with a cheer and applaused from the audience and inductees they began the ceremony. They forcefully pushed the hit lister out the main battle ground. After a full ten minute head start, it was our goal to find the listee and kill him. Whoever brings the body to the head guard first will be granted the title "hitman".

With their guns loaded, they were finally released and the spectators cheered.

He was the fastest out of all of them. Passing, sliding, and hiding, he found the perfect place to see everything that the battle grounds had. It looked like a normal town, but it was understanding why they done here. Most hit listers were tracked down in towns. He ducked down and planted himself in the mud and grass to camouflage. Unlike his competitors, he uses his head. Compared to the others, he wasn't strong or tall, but he was one hell of a sniper.

Everybody was looking at the most reasonable places: Abandoned houses, closets, or maybe even the forest. But that was too predictable. Gazing at the whole 'fake' city, he found a building that one or two bells on the rooftop like a Catholic church. Perhaps he's religious, praying to his God? Walking to the other side of the hill to get a good glimpse of what was inside of the building he swatt down and aimed his gun mercilessly at the windows.

Suddenly white appeared in one of the seats ducking, or what seems like crying. Smirking he closed one eye and looked into the tiny magnifying glass that pointed straight to his head. His finger brushed the trigger, before pulling it.

Click.

He expected to hear a thunderous roar as the shot was fired, but instead it was replaced with a light 'click'. Once again he smirked. No wonder nothing was heard of… they took away all of the ammunition, forcing him to literally kill his target in person. He has no choice but to go to the church and kill the victim himself.

Feliciano was on his knees praying to God, hoping that he can get out of this situation somehow. What has he done to get this treatment? But whatever he did, forgive him... the dictator lied once again, or maybe he didn't ask enough questions. Lovino, where are you? Please be safe...

"God, please help us… give me strength..."

Everything was quiet… nobody has tried to shoot him yet. He's exhausted from all that running he had to do to stay away from the crowd that was chasing him. Coughing, he winced at the pain in his stomach again that day from all that running. But he can't give up now. Gripping the ring that Grandpa Roma gave him, he sighed. "Sorry Grandpa, but I am not planning on seeing you now…"

At that moment, the 'click clacks' of shoes was faint but noticeable. It became louder and louder each passing moment.

He was so close to becoming a hitman that he can taste it, but there was one thing that he couldn't stop thinking of. Who was behind that mask? His teacher, bruder, and Frau Zelma warned him that curiosity kills. But just one peek wouldn't hurt after he was done. Stepping into the church he took in his surroundings. The paint on the wall was clearly old, it was peeling; the stone statue of Mary and baby Jesus that was in the front of the church podium; the white rim of a dress. It was more than likely the hit lister is a girl, but a hitman's job was to kill whomever they were told to kill, and to not hesitate for any reason.

She was bent down, turning the opposite direction of where he was standing. He guess that she knew he was there already, so grabbing his gun he angled it in a position for easy kill. Before he could do that the girl turned and kicked him on his knee, buying her enough time to roll under the seats, and away from him. Cursing to himself, he stepped on her dress which stopped her.

He had to know. His curiosity got the best of him… quickly, but gracefully, he unmasked her to reveal the same amber eyes that make his heart pound; the same auburn hair the seems to glow into the sunlight; the same chubby face of his dear Feliciano. But this time, 'her' face was drowned in pure horror. Her eyes were red and puffy from the crying, and her face was flushed.

"F-Feliciano? Why are you here?" he choked out, taking off his black mask to reveal himself to her. Rule one broken: Never reveal yourself to the hit lister.

Her eyes showed the little shine it normally had, as she got up to hug him tightly. "_Non so cosa sta succedendo! Pensavo che fossi uno di loro!_" She shook in terror before stepping back once more, glaring at the gun that he had. Ludwig realized that the gun was scaring her so he placed it away from the two. He leaned down to embrace her, wrapping his tone arms around her slender ones. The heat traveled to his face when he did this, so he turned the other direction hoping that she wouldn't be able to see him like this; vulnerable. But this was his chance! He could kill her now and get it over with. Pulling a small blade from his sleeve he aimed it at her neck behind her. One quick slice would make him become a hitman, working for the country that he loves. He looked down once more, Feliciano was clearly holding back her tears when she sniffled ,"_Salvami _Ludwig-".

Even though he had no idea of what she was saying, he had a clue. She was scared and shaking in his arms. He couldn't kill her… Ludwig grew too attached to her to even think once about doing so. Feliciano continued to cry in his arms, as the lingering thoughts of Ludwig remained locked up in his mind… what now? He just committed treason all for this one girl. Rule two broken: don't help the hit lister.

Their comfort session was over with the sound of yells and footsteps. "Where are you?"

One of his competitors marched inside of the church, armed with a few hand knifes and an unloaded gun like Ludwig. "Why are you just standing there? You had the chance to kill her, so back off!"

Ludwig stepped in front of Feliciano and made sure that 'she' was well blocked from any harm. He pointed his knife towards the women and charged at her. Feliciano stared in shock hand over her mouth and eyes wide for seeing the sight of blood once more… the knife slid into the woman's neck and Ludwig mumbled to himself, "Rule three broken: never turn against your comrades in a friendly competition, such as this one…" A dark smile spread over Ludwig's face. "Damn, I broke all the rules..."

Ludwig had committed treason, but he might still have a chance to survive if a miracle happened. But how is he going to escape when it is heavily guarded with guards and soldiers to monitor the place?

Meanwhile, the audience stared in horror as the camera kept rolling the live scene of Ludwig's treason. Rolling a cup full of wine Roderich smirked, bring the cup to his lips…

"Things just got interesting..."

* * *

><p>DONE! Ve~! (=ヮ=)<p>

Thank you! Frau Wolf and Imaolevi my Editors!

Our finals are over, and this is a time of celebration! Please give me your opinion about the story so far. I would gladly appreciate it. (=3=)

Thank you for being so patient.

Your author,

~Animefreak~(=w=)


	3. Chapter 3

The third chapter of The Hit List is below this HQSC (Humorous Quick Summary of Chapter). But by all means look into it! ( =3 =)

**Humorous Quick Summary of Chapter 2! By my good friend, FrauWolf! It's great to have a little humor before this story don't you think? Enjoy this humorous intercept of the Hit List Chapter 2. **

RECAP in

3…

2…

1…

Let the randomness begin~

Italy: I'm so traumatized from the last chapter

Germany: That new maid girl is super-hot though

Italy: Ve~

Germany: Wanna be friends?

Italy: Sure, you're the only person here who isn't kind of a massive douche

Germany: When I grow up I want to murder people

Italy: Um, okay that's cool I guess…

Germany: Okay see you later

Roderich III: Okay, we're having a party so these maids are going to put you in dresses against your will. Have fun with that.

Italy: I've been so violated…

Germany: I'm going murder someone and pursue my dream job, yeah!

Italy: Ahhhhhhhh~!

Germany: What, my waifu!? No, now I have to murder everyone else!

Austria: This is better than cable

_Let's get serious, I do not own Hetalia._

_The Hitlist Chapter 3_

_Content warning: There will be gory and disturbing imagery in this chapter._

The woman gasped and staggered backwards, Ludwig's blade darting across her throat and leaving a thin cut. The woman, shocked by the child's speed, dropped her own weapons, and her hands grasped at the wound. Her eyes went wide in horror as blood began trickling through her fingers; she gasped for air and began coughing, trying to say something. In between her panicked breaths, she managed to choke out something that almost sounded like, "help."

But her eyes showed something different: a glare far colder, far more accusing. As she stumbled backwards and her gasping became more ragged, the woman glared at Ludwig in way that seemed to say what she could no longer articulate in words, begging the question, "_Why did you do this? It wasn't supposed to go like this, but you __**betrayed**__ us! You traitor, you monster, why?" _

Ludwig had failed to kill her as cleanly as he had wished, and watched the woman stagger backwards through the church. Hitmen were trained to kill much more effectively than this, cutting the jugular vein in a way that would ensure that victim would bleed out rapidly, not that it would be instantaneous, nor would would it actually be "clean". Ludwig knew how it should have been done, and he realized that the woman had known how to do it too; they had gone through the exact same training, they were supposed to be comrades.

Ludwig was glad he hadn't ever learned the woman's name during training as he plunged his knife once more into her neck; this wound would bring her death much more swiftly. This seemed to be of little comfort to the woman, her hands moving to Ludwig's blade in a feeble and ultimately vain attempt to pull the weapon from her neck. Her hands met Ludwig's, and in shock he dropped the blade, the blood on the woman's hands staining his own. She fell to the ground, clutching the gaping wound as she shook in the throes of death on the sanctuary's floor. Blood, colored like a dark wine, spilled onto the floor; droplets splattering against Ludwig as he grabbed his knife from the woman's side as her convulsions ceased and she was left staring, wide eyes filled with horror and tears, blankly at the ceiling.

Feliciano shivered. Was this really Ludwig? Was this the same innocence person whom he had befriended in a short time ago? His stomach curled with knots and he covered his mouth with his hand to block the gasp that would eventually escape his lips.

Ludwig turned around to reach out his hand to the Italian. He looked like the same Ludwig that he had befriended. Same clear blue eyes, slightly messy blonde hair, and the shy-yet-stern look that fell naturally on his face. His hair and clothes was covered with dried grass and mud, but his face was clean because of his dark mask that once covered his face. He didn't know what to do yet he still reacted without thinking. Feliciano grabbed Ludwig's hand and followed him further in the church. The deeper in they walked the darker the halls began to be.

He looked back at Feliciano and signaled him to stay there. Before Feliciano could reach his hand to the rim of his cloak, he disappeared into the morbid darkness. The room had no door but bits of pieces of old glass and picture frames. His hands made its way together and he bend down on his knees. Ludwig committed one of the ultimate sins: murder. Ludwig is a good person; he did it to protect him right? Everything was intolerably quiet. The creaking outside the door and the soft breathing of his own was what filled his ears. He shook and prayed silently. This is the first time he has gotten scared of the dark. But he must remember, people are not scared of the dark, but what is hiding in it. He felt his body relax some, yet he still forced his body to stay up. What was Luddy doing? He had to stay up so that no one would catch him off guard. He can't fall asleep yet; not now. Drifting off to sleep is a way to escape the world, but it is also a way to bring you back to reality... His body ignored his silent pleas while his eyes became heavy. This is the first time today that he was finally able to sleep. He somehow felt safe, in an odd twisted way, that he was with Ludwig. His thoughts overflowed, somehow comforting him , allowing him to go into slumber.

The twist of the door knob grabbed his attention, so he quickly got up and watched the dark visual figure slowly turn into Ludwig. He got up and walked up to Ludwig to see that his hands drenched with warm crimson. In his right hand something was wrapped in the self made cloth bag that was tightly bandaged with care. He glanced over to Feliciano once more and guided him back inside of the newly cleansed sanctuary. Feliciano looked around the room. Everything looked the exact same way when he entered the church; how? But instead of the bright morning sun shining on the abandon pedestals, the room held an orange hue, making the aura relaxing and pleasant. Looking out one of the broken windows he realized that the sun was starting to set. Just how long had he been asleep?

Feliciano brought his attention to the bandaged object, and on cue, Ludwig began talking in his native tongue before stopping when he realized that Feliciano can't quite comprehend what he was saying. The only way for them to communicate was trying to interact with each other physically; just like a game of charades. Ludwig held out his hand out to Feliciano, hoping that 'she' would follow him. Feliciano was about to grab it until he has reached his senses. Ludwig's hand was rebuffed with a quick slap on his right cheek.

This baffled Ludwig. Hadn't he just saved her life, and almost certainly lost his country's trust. Couldn't 'she' realize how much unnecessary _**crap **_he had to deal with? Before he was able to verbally react back to Feliciano's action, he was stopped by a shaky yell.

"You killed in the Lord's house! How could you?" Feliciano stepped away, but was followed by the approaching blonde who was trying to gain 'her' trust again. His back finally met with the hard surface of the wooden wall, letting out a yelp, when Ludwig continued to reach for his unaccepting hand.

"Feliciano!" Ludwig swiftly grabbed 'her' shoulders and he gave 'her' a forceful shake. Feliciano had to realize that he was doing this for 'her'. "If only Feliciano would understand; if only she accepted how things were and trust me," Ludwig thought.

He had never sacrificed so much before: killing a Hitman inductee, betraying the country which he had only ever wanted to serve and protect. All for this one girl; the girl that he had only met just recently, the only one to make his heart flutter with the simplest actions. The one girl that reminded him how it felt like to be a kid again. But for her to despise him, made his insides hurt... Ludwig looked at Feliciano's face that was filled with horror, angst, and sadness. Tears fell dearily when 'she' dared to look up at him with 'her' big honey coated eyes.

His arms made its way around Feliciano's shoulders causing 'her' to flinch. But instead of the harsh shake like before, it was replaced with something different... something special: a hug. Feliciano intensity melted into his arms…

Feliciano didn't know what to do… he did know enough German to carry off a conversation with anyone, yet he felt like he had known him for years. Perhaps it was just a side-effect of being lonely, that he was so willing to become friends with Ludwig that he didn't think about the 'what ifs'. Feliciano gave in, gripped the outer cloth of his dark jacket, and then buried his face deep in chest. He already knew that this friendship would never work, but he wanted to enhance every moment of this feeling. Soft sobs escaped his lips, but he held most of it in so that no one including Ludwig, could hear. They stood like that for awhile, but they seem to not care; they were content…

The moonlight soon began to beam on them as Feliciano slept, propped against the wall leaning on Ludwig. Gentle cricket chirps and the sound of their hearts beating like a drum, was their lullaby. The church doors were locked and jammed shut, so Ludwig didn't worry much about anyone coming in unnoticed. He looked down at his collarbone and felt the heaviness of Feliciano's head there. Sighing, he looked at the ceiling which was painted with bright stars and cross designs that had people with a glowing halo around the surface of their head.

"Is this your God Feli? Can't they see us?" Ludwig forced a smile, "If they can, then why have they cursed us? You're so devoted, but can't you see that no one is there… It's just an imaginary idol"

He took his attention off of the wall art and he then glanced at the bandaged item that was underneath him. Ludwig has the perfect plan of escape for Feliciano, but he has to figure out a way to explain it to 'her' so that even a deaf person could understand.

_CRUNCH_

The blonde's heart skipped a beat when he heard feet walking on the crunchy grass outside the building. The sound echoed throughout the room, signaling him that the inductee was close. He expeditiously got up on his feet and tapped Feliciano repeatedly on his shoulder. Feliciano groggily looked at Ludwig, blinking his eyes multiple times to keep himself awake. He let out a yawn and gave Ludwig a questioned look of concern when Ludwig helped him up from his sleeping position.

"Wha-?" before Feliciano could say anything, Ludwig hushed him and placed a finger over his mouth, silently informing 'her' that 'she' must be quiet. The crunches continued to get louder and louder until it stopped at the door that was blocked off. A few twists of the door knob could be heard on the other side of the room, followed by a sigh of irritation.

Taking his chance, Ludwig grabbed Feliciano's wrist and quickly tip-toed to the back rooms, which led to multiple hallways. Ludwig walked into one of the hallways, making frequent stops on the corners with his knife in hand, ready to attack anyone who stands in their way. By this time of night, it was really dark. When they finally approached the final wooden door, it led to an upstairs attic. The room was very packed with old boxes and linen that was scattered about, leaving them with little to no space to squeeze through the tight spaces. Every step was heard when they moved their feet, causing the atmosphere to be somewhat unnerving. At times, Ludwig even had to pick up some of the boxes whenever they couldn't walk past any of them. They had to stay as far away from the doors and windows as possible so that no one would find them. After a half an hour of moving boxes and squeezing further into the ocean of boxes, they finally made it to the corner of the attic. There was barely enough room for both of them to sit down, but they somehow managed to.

The dark room was very quiet, and the only thing that was heard was the harsh beatings of their hearts. Feliciano and Ludwig held their knees together and sat up straight to avoid any boxes tumbling over. There position started to ache their backs the longer they had to hunch over, but instead of complaints, an eternal silence filled the room; they couldn't risk being heard by a hitman inductee.

Feliciano simply sat down, taking quick glances at the older boy beside him, while rubbing his ring on his right thumb. If he made it out alive he would have to repay him, somehow… Feliciano was unnoticably shaking and trembling, taking short breaths, reacting the opposite way than Ludwig. The blonde's expression was unreadable, but at times he would take quick glances at Feliciano.

There was a huge chance that they won't make it out alive, even if they came up with the perfect escape plan. Twiddling with his ring, Feliciano nudged Ludwig on the side to capture his attention. The blonde looked at Feliciano. His hair was matted down with dirt and his face was covered with beads of sweat. In comparison with him, the hems of his white dress was now painted dusty brown with light nonsymmetrical rips on the side. Feliciano boldly grabbed Ludwig's hand and leaned on his shoulder, letting out a soft sigh. Ludwig has saved him multiple times and he appreciates it and all, but knowing that he is risking everything for a person that he recently met, was bittersweet. He felt selfish. All he could do was say thank you. Even though "thank you" wouldn't be enough, it was the only thing he could do for the time being...

"_Grazie_, Ludwig"

Ludwig glanced at the top of Feliciano's head that was restfully sitting on his body. Recalling the term _grazie_, he finally remembered that it meant thank you. Ludwig blushed and faced away from Feliciano. The _Italian _made Ludwig's heart flutter when 'she' does the simplest things. It was true. It was true that he unconsciously became fond of 'her', even though he tries but fail to discreetly know his limits and his boundaries as a Hitman. But he can't seem to disown this unfamiliar feeling. It was a sickeningly wonderful feeling that was foreign to him, and it pained him that he had to like Feliciano, a hit man listee. It pains him that he doesn't understand Feliciano's language, so that he could alleviate 'her' sorrows that 'she' had to bare. Feliciano could've never had committed those crimes; it's not like 'her'. It pains him that he shows 'her' care and support, that will eventually kill them both. Yet he still disobey his common sense and leans on the smaller human, tightening his hand around Feliciano's.

"_Es freut mich_, Feliciano"

_Es freut mich_. Feliciano closed his eyes and allowed the phrase to repeat silently in head. Most of the _German _that he has heard throughout his stay at the estate was strong and thick sounding, but his _German _was so soft and delicate the way he said _Es freut mich_. The sentence was passionate, yet reluctant like he was regretting what he was saying to him.

"Feliciano." When Ludwig's warm hand unattached his own, he suddenly felt lonely. Feliciano followed Ludwig's motions as his hands made its way around the back of his neck, unhooking something. Once he loosen up the object he slowly began to pull it up, revealing a cross metallic necklace that was hidden beneath his cloak. Feliciano's eyes glittered with amazement and sat there with stupefaction, but hesitated when he turned to face him.

"_Hier_." He adjust the necklace to rest securely on Feliciano's collar bone. His fingers were trembling slightly, causing his fingers to brush lightly on the tiny hairs on his neck. Feliciano looked down the necklace and then snuck a glance to Ludwig to find him already looking at him. He forced himself to look away, hiding his blush in the shadows. Was Ludwig always this shy? He suppose so… Burying his face in his chest he wrapped his arms around his toned waist and began humming an unfamiliar tune for Ludwig. It sounded weary at first, but after a few momentary seconds the hum gotten lighter and softer. His soprano voice rung in Ludwig's ears as Feliciano started rocking his head to the melody. Feliciano made sure that his voice was low enough so that nobody besides Ludwig could hear the refreshing lullaby.

What they didn't know was that the dictator was watching them, silently judging whether or not he should sent his men to bomb them or capture them and executed them in the town square. The huge audience from this morning recently retired to their quarters, but once everyone returned the next morning, the show would be over. With one lift of this finger he ordered his men to capture the two children by dusk, when all the officials come back from their slumber. He looked back on the screen that was before him and zoomed into Ludwig's face.

"He clearly had the chance to kill the hit lister, but he chose not to. Ludwig has shamed his only family member, Gilbert…" he lit a cigar and breathed in before blowing it out in small rings.

The room was dimmed with barely any light source coming from outside or from lamps, beside from the huge screen that was hanging on the other side of the room. Smoke fogged the large room, but a large window had a small creak for releasing the fumes that collected over time. Carpets painted blood red, papers and books scattered all over the floor, and the German flag hanging proudly above the dictator's enormous desktop ,sent an unpleasant shiver down the visitor's spine.

"Son, I have called you in tonight to give you your first duty for our country. I believe you are trustworthy enough now not to screw up now like you normally do." Roderich III started to somewhat organize his paperwork, but stopped in deep thought.

After taking some consideration of his new decision he looked up to his son, head resting on the back palm of both hands and said, "As Roderich IV, you have finally reached of age that you must stop goofing off so much. You will be assigned to run the execution for these two revolts. That is why you are not allowed to play the piano or write music anymore, as it will be a huge distraction; we don't have time for that-"

"But father! Killing two children isn't the right thing to do! Why must you make our youth do the unfathomable; the unholy things?" Roderich IV slammed both hands on his father's desk and tried to continue but was slapped by his father in the face.. He fell down on the carpet and grunted in frustration, rubbing his bruised cheek.

"You ungrateful, piano loving bastard! This is for a greater Germany! A hundred and fifty years ago, our great leader Hitler tried, but failed to accomplish what we have now! I will not let two runts ruin what we have built!" he took a breather, huffing and puffing because the lack of breath he had left from shouting. He walked around his desk and gripped the collar of his son, yanking him up to his feet, toes occasionally touching the ground. The older man leaned forward to whisper in his son's ear.

"To make you happy, I will spare Ludwig and create a scandalistic story that will put all the blame on the hit lister." His father's voice sounded sickeningly horrid as he chuckled humorously. Pulling him closer, he started to tighten his grip around his collar, pulling him forward, slightly choking him. He could feel his father's untimely breath hit his face, smelling the smoke that he consumed earlier.

"And then when all things are done, I will bring together my most trusted doctors to perform on Ludwig. I shall brainwash him, just like his brother, and he shall become a killing machine…"

Roderich IV eyes widen when he heard this. He took a sideway glance at the screen behind him that showed Ludwig and the hit lister together. If you listen closely you could hear the soft lullaby that escaped the smaller child's lips, that was strictly meant for Ludwig. _Ave Maria_ . He was humming Schubert's _Ave Maria; a german_ hymn. Such an old song... a sigh flowed out of his mouth when his father let go of his white dress shirt, and it given him enough time to catch his breath.

_Pray for us sinners,_

_Now, and at the hour of our death._

Remembering the song's lyrics, he gave the screen a dejected look of sorrow. The child that was humming it seemed like she already knew that she wouldn't make it out alive... He looked up to face his father in the eye, but once eye contact was made, his father looked the other way.

"You may take your leave now." He walked to his desk and sat down scribbling a fews notes, occasionally eyeing his son.

"Y-Yes father."

He rubbed his neck and got off of his knees making his way to the door. Roderich IV has to figure out how to save both of them, he can't bare the thought of staining his hands with their blood…

* * *

><p>Author's note~<p>

Thanks for reading this! My editors, FrauWolf and Lmaolevi, are great! They support me a lot.

I hope you have enjoyed this! FrauWolf made the death scene at the beginning of the chapter~

So thank you!

Thanks for supporting this story!~ Review if you want to!

_**Please read the warning at the bottom from my editors please**_.

Your Author,

~Animefreak~(6w6)

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>[EDN - FrauWolf]**_ Hello, this is FrauWolf, I would just like to thank everyone who has been reading this and especially those of you who have reviewing. My friend Animefreak557 does read those reviews and she really appreciates them, in fact she loves to complain to me about the people who PM her but don't review. We really do enjoy writing this story, unfortunately there may be some brief delays in the future regarding the later chapters due to personal engagements that I will refrain from talking about in detail because of privacy, but we should only be delayed for a few weeks if at all before getting back on track. There will be an issue with the editing however, as I do was some event going on for a large part of the week that will keep me from doing the editing, and I will be caught up in this until the beginning of March. Lmaolevi is helping us though, so I would like to her a whole bunch for pointing out the issues, even if her style of editing is much more "direct" and may be considered "meaner" than my own. I would also like to thank Lmaolevi's mother, who is an angry Bavarian and is the one who has been doing the German translations for us, and her translations are far better than what Animefreak557 has been getting off of Bing translate.

In news of the story itself, between chapters four and five there is going to be a rather large timeskip which is when the "main" story is going to take place. This was originally going to be the last chapter before the timeskip, but Animefreak557 ended up moving a good deal of this chapter over to chapter four after Lmaolevi and I noted that this chapter was becoming rather long. Also, if you noticed that the first four paragraphs of this chapter were written differently from the rest, it's because I was the one who wrote those. The original scene had the un-named woman just die immediately, but I realized that having your throat slit would not kill you immediately, just very quickly. When I pointed this out, Animefreak557's power was out and I volunteered to write that segment for her, and she told me to "go all out" on the death scene. After I was done she apparently cried from being traumatized by my writing and Lmaolevi's only comment was "gross." So sorry about that, but Animefreak557 asked me to do all of the death scenes that will be later, and I'm assuming/hoping that there will be a lot, because I'm a horrible and morbid person like that. I'm also going to be doing the summaries at the beginning of each chapter, which are going to be the funniest/least disturbing thing that I'll contribute to this story. I'm also the reason that there are two Roderichs, because I noticed that the original one was so different from the original Austria-tan, and suggested the theory of there being "two Austrias" with the son being the "real" Austria.

_**[ED/N - Lmaolevi]**_ Well, I saw that a certain someone was doing an editors note so I decided to one as well so I felt, uh, included? Anyway, to sum it up, things are happening leading to delays in the chapters that are coming, so this is basically just a warning. (So you guys don't have to be worried about when she doesn't update the story like she usually does.) Supposedly my style of editing others is "mean" but whatever-I'm just that type of person, so, you just deal with it. Anyway, there's that. Just watch for the story to be updated; whenever that shall be. ಥ_ಥ


	4. Chapter 4

The fourth chapter of The Hit List is below this HQSC (Humorous Quick Summary of Chapter). But by all means look into it! ( =3 =)

**Humorous Quick Summary of Chapter 2! By my good friend, FrauWolf! It's great to have a little humor before this story don't you think? Enjoy this humorous intercept of the Hit List Chapter 3. **

RECAP in

3…

2…

1…

Let the randomness begin~

Inductee-chan: OMG I can't believe you betrayed us! Now I must die so messily that you shall be traumatized forever! *_I [FrauWolf] have no regrets writing that death, Animefreak557 told me to go all out_* Blargh!

Germany: Ew, there's blood everywhere. It's like a water gun up in here!

Italy: THOU SHALT NOT KILL *_Pimp-slaps Germany_* YOU NEED TO EMBRACE JESUS AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR! _*lmaolevi supports this statement with a passion*_

Germany: I have no God. Quickly, let's hide in the attic before anyone realizes that I just murdered that random chick that nobody will ever name.

Italy: Is it too late for me to friend-zone you? No? Well, then I guess we're going to die. *_Hums Ave Maria_*

Roderich III: This is getting boring, I should probably just kill those two. Because I am Hitler now.

Austria Jr.: OMG IS THAT AVE MARIA I HEAR?! That song is my jam!

Roderich III: Son, please stop being a prissy little girl before I end up slapping you so hard that your glasses fly across the room.

Austria Jr.: VATER I HATE YOU SO MUCH! NOTHING WILL EVER STOP MY LOVE FOR PIANO-KUN! Piano-kun is the only one who understands me…

Roderich III: Son, that is the fifth-most emo thing I've ever heard you say. Please stop playing music, your horrifying lust for that piano is disgusting, and it probably isn't good for you or that piano. Why don't you find another hobby, like plotting world domination and/or the murder of all who oppose you? Those are way more popular with the ladies, or at least that's how I met your mom.

Austria Jr.: MURDER IS WRONG AND BESIDES, IT'S NOT LIKE I EVER WANTED TO FEEL THE EMBRACE OF A WOMAN ANYWAY! See Vater, this is why dinner with us is so awkward!

Roderich III: Son, I think this weird music kink you have has gone to far. I'm sending you to go kill those two kids. Try not to screw up like the last fifteen-times I've sent you on a mission, and be back for dinner!

_Let's get serious, I do not own Hetalia_

_The Hit List Chapter 4_

The cricket's songs were now replaced with bird chirps. Little cracks on the roof shedded streaks of sunlight in the once dim room. Ludwig woke up to find an empty spot next to him. Panic took over his body as he quickly made his way up to find Feliciano. Pushing over the boxes and shouting 'her' name in a whisper, he finally made his way to the door. His sweaty palms gripped the door tightly, making his knuckles turn white.

What happen to Feliciano? Was 'she' okay? Running in the hallway with his knife and wrapped up object in hand, his breathing quickened and his heart was beating so hard that he could feel it in his veins on his throat. He ran down the steps and made a sharp turn when he heard a 'clatter'. Poking his head into the door, he saw Feliciano with a bag of nuts. Feliciano was sitting on a chair trying to crack some open on the small wooden table that was in there, followed by a few wooden chairs. The room was rather small and bare, only having one wooden cross hanging on the wall.

Ludwig's heart slowed down, and he walked in closing the door behind them.

"Feliciano, don't leave without telling me! There are people after you!" this only made Feliciano blink at him a few times before offering him some nuts that he found in the stable room. Rubbing his forehead he sat down in one of the squeaky chairs that on the opposite side where Feliciano was sitting at. Of course 'she' can't understand him. Reaching out to a mixture of nuts his hand accidentally met with Feliciano's. Ludwig looked up and pulled his hand away, offering Feliciano to go first.

He has never realized how much he cared for Feliciano. Watching the preteen, his eyes glazed at 'her' features: big eyes, full cheeks, and 'her' bangs hung down swiftly moving with every nod. The infrequent smiles that was painted on Feliciano lips made his heart melt. His eyes dropped downwards after admiring 'her' facial features; his eyes trailed further down to 'her' olive toned nec-

"Nein!" standing with the quickness, he accidentally knocked over his wooden chair that he was once sitting in. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he continued to slap his face. _Stop thinking about that! Damn it, damn it, damn it!_

"Ludwig?" Feliciano scrutinized and furrowed his brows together. Ludwig concluded his actions and briskly came to his senses. He sat the chair up again and waved his hands in defence to signal 'her' that he was okay.

Feliciano giggled and grabbed a handful to put on his side of the table. He started to claw his way through the nuts, but he miserably failed doing so. He doesn't normally crack nuts without his electronic nutcracker at home in Italy. Glancing up Ludwig noticed that Feliciano wasn't quite so use to cracking nuts by himself.

"Feliciano..." Ludwig got up and grabbed the nuts that were in 'her' hands and began showing 'her' how he normally cracks his nuts. Feliciano starred and followed Ludwig's motions as he placed two nuts side by side in his hands. Squeezing them together, a 'crunch' sound was made, making Feliciano smile. Ludwig began to peel off the shell of the nut, finally reaching the edible food.

Giving the treat to Feliciano, Ludwig felt the edge of his mouth twitch upwards when he saw Feliciano's face bloom with awe. In the exact moment the nut was placed in Feliciano's hand, his stomach grumbled very loudly causing his cheeks to burn a light red. Ludwig snickered turning his head away from Feliciano, but soon cleared his throat and focused back on cracking the nuts for both himself and Feliciano.

Ludwig's eyes trailed on the cracked lines of the wooden table, momentary reaching Feliciano's small hands to 'her' face. 'She' was so focused on cracking the nuts, eyes locked on 'her' breakfast. Feliciano looked up when at him and smiled, releasing 'her' casual "ve~!"

For the first time, Ludwig was actually going to experience the true pain of losing someone, and he knows this. He mostly feared the safety of Feliciano, not himself. But part of him _knew _that he wouldn't make it out alive… knowing that this is their first and last meal with each other he grabbed Feliciano hands, and stared at 'her' eyes in a determined manner. Forgetting his duty and discipline as a Hit man inductee, he was about to say something that would allow him to let go of Feliciano without regret.

Letting the words come out his mouth, he already knew that there will be a slim chance of Feliciano understanding his confession. But he will not regret it, at least he would say it once before they part, perhaps in death. The intruding weight of guilt was all erased as he watched Feliciano expression.

"_Ich liebe dich._"

_Ich liebe dich. _Feliciano didn't know how to respond to that; the way he said it was very overwhelming to him. He swallowed heavily, refraining his eyes away from Ludwig startlingly. The morning sun shined out of the multiple small holes that was in the wall, bathing them in rays of solar light creating a soft glow around their body. Collecting the little courage he had, Feliciano looked at Ludwig who held the same impassioned stare that hasn't wavered once. How can he tell him he can't comprehend what he said? Feliciano opened his mouth to ask him, but was cut off when he heard,

"_Ti amo." _

_Ba-dump, Ba-dump. _Theheart pounding in his chest only increased every second as Ludwig stood up making his way to his side of the table. Th-This was wrong! Ludwig was a male and so was he. But why does he feel vaguely happy that he said that? Gaining control of the situation Feliciano stood up as well to confront the young man. Steeling himself for the worst he back away and silently shook his head. No this is wrong… a man shouldn't have these feelings for another man, yet it feels like a dagger to heart knowing that he might have the same feelings as Ludwig.

Strong arms wrapped around his body comforting him with every embrace. _He doesn't like guys_… Tears built up in the corner of his eyes as he reluctantly brought his hands to Ludwig's back.

_He really doesn't like guys… but he likes Ludwig._

"_T-Ti amo…_"

Ludwig pulled Feliciano into a tighter hug, burying his face into the auburn hair ,closing his eyes in the hopes that time would stop around them. Warmth clouded their thoughts as they broke apart, staring at each other's eyes. Without thinking Ludwig started leaning forward relentlessly before stopping to see whether or not he should continue. It was incomprehensible to understand what made Feliciano lean forward. Closing his eyes Feliciano stood on the tip of his toes to get more height, preparing for a kiss.

Doing the same, Ludwig leaned down to feel the soft breathing of the 'girl' below him, closing in the gap between them. His lips met Feliciano's in a wistful manner, barely brushing against each other's before _softly _and _innocently_, pressing their lips together. The feeling was surreal. A spark of excitement fluttered in his chest when Ludwig held him in arms. He doesn't know what he has done to receive this bittersweet treatment. He already knows that their happiness won't last forever, but he will do everything in his power to embrace every moment. Ludwig suddenly broke the kiss, much to Feliciano's disappointment.

"Lud-?"

"_Hush!_"

What was wrong? Ludwig pulled Feliciano behind him as he peeked in one of the small holes that lead to the outside world. Everything seemed normal: the abandon buildings that reflected light off of it's windows; the concrete streets that had cracks that formulated there years ago; the forest that was far off in the horizon . But something didn't seem right about the forest: the bushes. It would sometimes sway lightly even if there weren't a breeze conveying them. Suddenly small groups of men ,that were hidden amongst the forest, started making their way to the church with spear-like tasers . They marched in a uniformed manner determined to do their task that the dictator assigned them to do.

Instantaneously Ludwig pulled Feliciano away from the wall, holding his weapon at hand. They had to quickly get out of there, but he already knew that they already had them surrounded by now. They made their way out the door, into the narrow hallway, down the steps, and finally making it to the basement door. Ludwig tightened his grip on Feliciano's hand as he guided them into the dusty, webbed up room. That was the place that they waited, waiting for a sign that they would pass by.

Ludwig stopped, and felt his heart drop as his

breathing hitched every so often. How could he forget!? He couldn't move. He turned Feliciano around in the dark room staring directly at the back of his neck. Rubbing the center of 'her' neck, he felt the small bump that he feared was there:_ a tracker for Hit listees_. Feliciano turned back around to face Ludwig again, confused.

Guiding Feliciano's hand to the square bump, the italian boy's eyes widen as panic started flood his mind.

"Lord Roderich IV, we will await your orders"

Roderich took his attention away from the church and back to the tracker that was in his hand. A sharp pain hit him in the chest, remembering what his father said this morning.

_If they don't collaborate, then I'll kill them off. I will allow you to give them three warnings before I order the men to take care of them. If they do collaborate, I will keep my promise..._

He sometimes don't understand his father. Keeping them alive will be harder than he thought.

"I will go in there and talk to the two. Don't proceed until I give you the say so." He pushed his glasses up, raising a hand to the small army to hold them off. He pressed the side button of his earpiece, inspecting and checking that all groups had heard about the plan.

"_Ja, Herr!_" the soldiers said in unison.

Roderich unraveled himself out of the tree limbs and outgrowing roots that dangled his feet. Stepping out of the forest he walked onto the pebbled street that led to many broke down shops and eateries. He followed the GPS device that eventually led him to the double doors of the church. With one swift pull on the handle, it didn't bung. _What in the world? _Walking towards the side of the building, the device started to beep rapidly.

"Sir? Are you alright? We can always break down the doo-"

"No! That won't be necessary. I will look for another opening to enter the building"

Following the tracker, the rapid beeping led to a small side door that was hidden amongst the tall grass. Roderich swatted down on his knees to get better access to the opening, observing it carefully, making sure that it was realistic for him so squeeze through the hole. Lifting the latch he started to open the door, revealing light to the very dark webbed room. Putting a leg through the door, he realized that he might be able to make it in there. Slowing sliding down and into the building his feet finally met on the ground, resulting for him to let out a long audible breath of relief. Once he stepped inside the dusty room, the beeping became uncontrollably loud and quick. A smirk glided on his lips, as the reassurance of losing them came out of mind.

"That means…"

At the exact moment he felt a cold blade hit his adams apple ever so softly, brushing against him, not cutting him at all.

"Explain who you are."

That voice didn't belong to a man, nor a women, but to a teenage boy going through puberty. _It's Ludwig... _Roderich snickered softly, but stopped when he remembered Ludwig killing a hit man inductee not too long ago. He froze up, but kept his composure as he began to introduce him.

"I came here to talk, but first let me introduce myself. I am _Roderich Edelstein IV_; and I mean no harm to you, Ludwig, or the hit listee." He felt the blade inch away from his neck, but Ludwig placed it back close to his neck, when he continued the conversation.

"Let me see you, but if you do anything crazy… I have no choice but to kill you." Ludwig let go of him, ripping the cloth off of his jacket to quickly tie Roderich's hands up. The blonde aimed his knife at Roderich as he nodded cautiously.

"Proceed."

Roderich nodded and signaled his eyes to the uppermost corner of the basement. At first Ludwig didn't budge; the man before him could be tricking him, so Ludwig tightened his grip around the blade and walked towards Roderich. Ludwig's free hand patted the sides of Roderich's jacket and pants, trying to find a weapon of any source. This was Roderich's chance-

"_Listen! Check my back pocket, my gun is in there. In the uppermost corners in this room, there are cameras set up. Shoot them down and I will help you get out of here,"_ he whispered quietly, eyeing Ludwig towards his backside. Stopping, Ludwig took everything into consideration as his fingers met with the metallic weapon.

"And why should I trust you?" Ludwig pulled away from him, placing the gun safely under his cloak.

Looking up to focus on Ludwig, Roderich's dark navy blue eyes held a very intensive spark that showed the seriousness that he was keeping inside. _"Do you want to keep her alive? If you do than quickly shoot down those cameras. I will help her escape this place alive"._

_Alive… _Feliciano would escape this dreaded place alive. Ludwig glanced behind him to look at the frail being behind him that was hidden amongst the abandoned shelves and curtains. He already knows that they were going to die even if he comes up with the best idea in the world. His brows furrowed together, thinking long and hard. This might be the only chance of survival for Feliciano…

Ludwig made his way to Roderich to untie the knotted cloth. Turning Roderich around, he started untying the knot, "Stand up and show me where they are located." He stepped away and awaited for further instructions while secretly guarding Feliciano.

Roderich began to stand up, using the boxes around him to balance himself up. Rubbing his slightly bruised wrists he began to explain the plan to him in a whisper. "After the first gun shot, we have about one minute before they start to attack. By the time they arrive here all of the cameras would be shot down, mak-"

"Making sure that the dictator won't see us… When they come here, what's next?"

"In the midst of chaos when they attack, surrender. Not all of the soldiers are mine, but I have enough of them to guide you to the right place. Afterwards we are going to drug the hitman listee, to fake her death…"

"Fake her... death?" Ludwig's world began to slow down as he recalled the words, _'fake her death'._ He looked up to face the older man, "why should I trust you? Why do you want to help us? If you trick me, I am going to blow your brains out without regret…"

Roderich paused and gave a smile of sorrow to the boy in front of him. "I can't stand killing children who haven't lived life yet. I'm trying to give you a chance of life and purpose to live… the dose will weaken her pulse, so that she could be claimed _**dead**_. Are you ready?"

Was Ludwig ready? Even if Roderich was saying the truth, it would still endanger all of them. But it was worth the risk if it meant Feliciano getting out of this place. "I'm ready… on the count of three…". Roderich gave Ludwig a small bob of the head as he led the count for Ludwig.

"_Drei_…" Ludwig's hand reached for the gun.

"_Zwei_…" Beads of sweat rolled down his chin, as Ludwig took a deep breath to calm down. Realizing that doing that wasn't working he started humming a familiar tune that eased his heart.

_**Feliciano's hum of Ave Maria.**_

"_Eins_…"

The nerves were gone. Ludwig swiftly pulled the gun out of his jacket and aimed at the first camera that was well hidden between the book shelves.

"_Null!_"

BANG!

Smoke clouded the corner where the camera use to be at. He felt a wave of empowerment when his finger grazed upon the trigger; the feeling was like no other.

**BANG**!

_**BANG**_!

His heart rapidly began to pound to the rhyme of his continuous shots until it was over with the final shot...

_**BANG!**_

Until the cameras were no more. Turning around, Ludwig ran towards Feliciano who was squatting down, hiding behind boxes. Grabbing Feliciano's shoulders to help 'her' up, Ludwig smiled. But his smile gradually became a look of fear, something that Feliciano has never witnessed from Ludwig, when he faced Roderich.

"Promise me you'll keep her alive, and get the tracker out of her!"

Roderich nodded. "Yes. Remember the soldiers that has the blue arm band instead of the red band are my men. Follow them out of here with Feliciano. Are you ready?"

"Yes sir."

They waited for what seemed like a million of years, but it was seconds that passed until they heard the small army coming closer to the church. Then into the building….

The thumps and stomps were first quiet, but the godforsaken sound became louder and louder, until it stopped altogether. Feliciano buried his face into Ludwig's chest feeling it rise and fall repeatedly; leaning his weight on the older teenager, the tension that was once making their stomach knot, began to soon disappeared into a more pleasant feeling. Feliciano felt safe… he felt like he was ready for anything. But all too soon, regardless of whether they were ready or not, the basement door slammed opened revealing the German soldiers with their guns and tasers in hand. But something was wrong.

The men began to fill the room one by one. Roderich scanned the arms of every man that entered the room, but something was completely off; he didn't seen anyone with a blue arm band. Then it hit Roderich. _These weren't his men._ Before Ludwig or Roderich could react, the soldiers were in formation to shoot. The majority of them were miraculously aiming straight at Feliciano-either standing or squatting-they managed to make sure that if Feliciano did anything, they would instantly shoot him if needed.

Ludwig hand glazed across the handle of his weapon, but was immediately concluded by the incoming footsteps that entered the room. The men before them cleared an aligned pathway for the tall figure across the room. Deep chuckles and laughter came from of the middle age man as he began clapping, almost like he was amused.

"Ha! My dear boy, how grand! You've made my day... you gave us quite a show, but all things must come to an end. Come Ludwig, leave the Hitman listee and you'll be safe!" Dictator Edelstein motioned Ludwig to come over, and then he looked towards his son, Roderich. "You too, come over here. I know you so well son, I figured you would do something stupid like this."

What was going on? Why are there soldiers here; why is _**he**_ here? Feliciano's grip tighten around Ludwig's waist as mixed emotion formulated in his heart. The dictator was pointing at Ludwig, signaling him to walk to the other side... Ludwig was going to leave his side. In the back of his mind he knew that it was a bad idea to befriend a German, but he was happy that he met Ludwig. Feliciano loosen his grip to push Ludwig off of him, but the blonde wouldn't bulge.

"Nein." Ludwig wrapped his arms around his shoulders and backed away from the dictator._**What?**_ Ludwig was holding him tighter than he would usually hold him.

"_**Nein! Nein! Nein!**_" He shook his head repeatedly, and turned Feliciano around to block his body from getting shot in any form or fashion. Wet warm drops of liquid hit and trickled down Feliciano's neck as he heard Ludwig's voice crack slightly. Feliciano looked up to see his face for the first time: frustration, red shot eyes from crying, and most of all, horror. "Luddy…", Feliciano felt his eyes get watery. He is willing to protect him, even if it met the end of him.

"T-Ti amo… I'm sorry Luddy…. I'm sorry…"

"Ludwig, Roderich, you have the count of three to come here, or we'll get you by force. Leave the Hitman listee."

"Father, please reconsider! These are children!" Roderich stepped forward to continue his plea, "Please spare them!"

"Shutup! They are not children anymore! You witnessed Ludwig mercilessly murder a Hitman inductee, so why should we treat him like he is a child! He is well qualified to work for me… I need someone as ruthless as he." The dictator stopped and let out a disappointing sigh. "This is taking too long. Men take care of them. Keep Ludwig and Roderich alive… leave the Hitman listee alive. I'll deal with her ."

The soldiers ran towards Roderich and pinned his sworming body to a nearby wall. After witnessing this Ludwig pulled out the gun that he had hidden in his cloak, and swung Feliciano on his back. "Ouch!" Feliciano body hit his back rather hard ,and it caught him off guard.

From left to right, multiple shots echoed throughout the room, stopping and killing the soldiers that dared to come any closer to them. Ludwig pulled the trigger once more to hear nothing more than a click. He cursed under his breath, "damn it!"

"Give us the Hitman listee Ludwig! Stop this nonsense!" the dictator stomped forward to confront the two. "Before I do." Ludwig stood there, adjusting Feliciano on his back, and glared at him before spitting in his face, "Go to Hell." In the briskness the dictator tore Feliciano off of Ludwig's back after pushing him towards the crowd of soldiers. It took a few people to take down the yelling, headbutting boy. Finally with a loud 'thump' on the dirty floor, Ludwig warily watched the dictator inch closer to Feliciano, reaching for his back pocket for his gun.

"No… _No!_..._**No!**_ _**Get away from her!**_" The more he fought back, the more he started to lose his strength. He hates this feeling: the feeling of being weak. He hates it! And all he could do now, was watch. Watch his love get murdered right in front of him because he was weak. The look that Feliciano had made his insides hurt. Feliciano began crawling back clearly weak and tired as the shadow of the man he once admired cover 'her' body. The gun was ready and loaded as he lift the weapon to aim straight at 'her' chest. 'Her' eyes were wide and dull filled with fear of death, and he couldn't save 'her'. He couldn't save 'her'...

BANG!

He felt like trash. No, worse like trash; he felt weak. He looked at the limp body the was tossed aside in the corner, then at Roderich who held a look of defeat, and then at Roderich's father, the man who killed Feliciano. Feliciano the person that he loved. Feliciano.

"Roderich, take care of the body. Men, take Ludwig to the sanatorium and get him ready for the surgery." He turned away and walked out of the room like nothing happened. Like _**nothing **_ happened…

Ludwig's memory after that was a blur. They took him to the hospital to get ready for the surgery that was later scheduled later on in the night. The scent of sanitizer clouded his nose as he laid there on the white hospital bed, looking at the plain white ceiling. He felt weight pressing against the edge of the bed. He scanned his features and let his mind slowly calculate who was the person before him. It was Roderich.

"I'm sorry." Roderich said, "I'm so sorry..." He looked the opposite way, ashamed.

"Don't be… either way, we weren't destine to be together. She was a Hitman listee, and I was a Hitman Inductee," Ludwig said quietly not batting an eye.

Roderich looked out the window, and stared at the sky allowing the setting sun to bathe his pale skin, "She is in a better place. I made arrangements for her to go back to her homeland…".

"Sir?"

"Yes Ludwig?"

"I want to forget. Help me to forget…" his eyes began to water. He felt disgusted of himself.

Roderich and Ludwig eyes met, but Roderich detached their gazes to look back outside the window. "Yes… it is for the best."

"Here, this was on her before her body was carried out." He grabbed the ring that was founded on Feliciano finger, and he gave to Ludwig. "It must've been special to her. After the performance I will make sure you keep that on ."

Ludwig smiled, and tried to hold back tears as he accepted the ring. Roderich turned around, "cry if you must, I won't judge." Ludwig's smile began to fall, being replaced with a look of sadness. That was the first time he has ever cried in front of anyone besides his brother...

_For both you and Feliciano. I wish to tell you this, but this would only hurt you more if I was to tell you I kept our promise..._

Feliciano's body felt numb; he felt empty. Opening his eyes he realized that he wasn't home. "Grandpa! Romano!" he shouted, but no one answered. The room was very nice: the colors were comforting and the bed was a lot bigger than what he was use to. Trying to get up a rush of pain hit his neck as his body fell back down. "Where am I?" His finger glazed across his chest to find a metallic necklace that was slightly bent, maybe because of sudden impact.

Heavy panting and footsteps were heard outside the room followed by an energetic scream of delight. The door was slammed open, startling Feliciano. It revealed a female with blonde shoulder length hair, with green eyes that matched her ribbon keeping her in place. She ran to Feliciano's direction and quickly grabbed his hands.

"Are you okay? You were out for awhile dear, but the surgery was a success!" Her smile enlighten the mood, but he was still confused.

"What surgery?"

The young lady's smile fell, but her grip tighten around his small hand. Leaning on the bed she said, "We had to remove a track device from the back of your neck. You might not remember what happen when you had the chip in you. Do you remember anything Feliciano?"

Feliciano tried to shake his head, but he stopped due to the soreness of the back of his head. "No, not really… all that I can remember was Lovino and I locked up in this cell, in Germany... Wait- y-you speak Italian? W-Where am I? How do you know me?"

"Hey! Calm down dear! I worked with your grandfather… don't worry so much, we will find your brother, and when the time is right, we will finish what we've started. The ambassadors' death won't be in vain." She brought his hand to her cheek and softly began sobbing, "you've been through so much! Don't worry dear, we will find Lovino…"

"Miss?"

She stopped crying, but continued to sniffed with a light smile, "yes dear?"

"What-what's your name?"

"Just Laura. I am from Belgium… You must be hungry, do you want some waffles?"

_**This is the beginning of the end. Life will become harder for everyone; all good things must come to an end.**_

_**End of Prologue of The Hit List**_

* * *

><p>Hello!<p>

Are you guys hype! Tell me what you think~

Thank you for reading this, and like I promised, I updated the story!

Make sure to check my page to see when I update!

Thanks FrauWolf and Lmaolevi! They are great!

Thank you readers for reading this. You guys are awesome.

Your author,

~Animefreak~ (6w6)~


	5. Chapter 5

_**WARNING :THIS HQSC IS BY FAR THE MOST RANDOM, BY FRAUWOLF**_

The_** fifth**_ chapter of The Hit List is_** below**_ this HQSC (Humorous Quick Summary of Chapter). But by all means look into it! ( =3 =)

**Humorous Quick Summary of Chapter 4! By my good friend, FrauWolf! It's great to have a little humor before this story don't you think? Enjoy this humorous interpretation of the Hit List Chapter 4.**

RECAP in

3…

2…

1…

Let the randomness begin~

Germany: Where my waifu at?! *_Finds Italy in the next room over_* Woman, what are you doing?! Get back in the kitchen before you get caught and we all die.

Italy: Sorry, I just found these nuts and I was going to eat them, but I'm far too uke to handle these nuts (no homo).

Germany: Here, I'm seme enough to handle these nuts (no homo).

*_Germany handles them nuts like a man_*

Italy: I think I'm in love.

Germany: We should kiss.

Italy: But I don't even like yaoi.

Germany: Let's keep this innocent. We don't have to do any weird yaoi stuff. Yet. ... Oh, by the way, you may have a tracking device in your neck.

Italy: Could you not of mentioned this sometime in between killing Inductee-chan and hitting first base?

Germany: ...

Austria Jr.: My dad sucks, I should let these two go free just to piss him off.

Soldier: Do you want us to open the door for you?

Austria Jr.: Don't worry, I've got this. *_Fails_*

Soldier: What a prissy little girl.

Austria Jr.: I'll find someway in, don't worry guys! I'll climb through the windows.

Germany:What are you doing? Get out.

Austria Jr.: Please don't hurt me, I'm fragile. Hey, you know what would be great? If nobody got murdered horribly.

Germany: Sounds great, only your dad is crazy. Do you have some kind escape plan or whatever?

Austria Jr.: Sure, but first you need to get rid of some cameras or my dad will see me helping you escape and I'd probably get grounded forever. Oh, and you'd probably get caught. That's important too.

Germany: Wow, I probably should have noticed those cameras earlier. Oh well. Let me see that gun, you'd probably just hurt yourself. *_Shots fired_* Okay, no more cameras, what's the next step of this plan?

Austria Jr.: That gun was super loud, I honestly have no idea what you just said.

Roderich III: Good job son, you caught the Hit listee. *_Shoots Italy_* Maybe one day you could be a proper villain, like me. Now to brainwash Germany into being a proper evil minion.

Germany: NNNOOO!

Austria Jr.: My ears are still ringing from that gun, what just happened? I heard literally nothing. I was going to help Italy escape, so is the plan still on after he got shot?

*_Later_* Italy: Why do I feel like I was shot, dragged across half the country, and then given an impromptu surgery?

Belgium: It's fine. Don't worry about it, it's fine. =3

Italy: Who are you? I can't remember anything since my Grandpa died, was there some kind of wild party or something? I think I have amnesia.

Belgium: You know what goes great with amnesia? Waffles. =3

_**And thus ends the incredibly long prologue to Veneziano's actual suffering.**_

_Let's get serious. The Hit List_

_Lovino's Story_

_Part 1 out of 2_

_My poor fratello,_

_I am sorry that I couldn't protect you from the hands of the Empire of the Greater German People. I will find you and bring us back home-and soon we'll be the ones celebrating and cheering over their agonizing groans of pain. For the battle is not over until I say it's over... But one day, not today, I will be with you once more and protect you, Feliciano… I won't fail you as an olde-_

"Hey Hit Listee, stop dosing off and finish doing your job! Tomate pequeño, are you ignoring me?!"

Happy thoughts. _**Happy thoughts**_. _Just ignore him and continue doing your job_... It is a blessing and a curse to be bilingual; Lovino was forced to listen to a certain Spaniard, even if it meant tolerating with his immature stupidity. His hand grazed upon the plumped tomatoes, making sure that the they were growing good enough to pick later on. Satisfied, he wiped the dirt off his hands on his overalls ,and picked up the basket full of ripe fruit. This should be the last round. With a smirk he began walking towards the back building to enter the double doors that lead to the kitchen. After this he will be done will today's-

SPLAT!

The once neatly stacked fruit that sat in the woolen basket, was now knocked over and smashed on the ground with the shoes of Lovino's Hitman, until everything was mush. Lovino quickly looked up to eye the man who was responsible, and it was none other than Antonio, his assigned Hitman. All day he has been trying to avoid him, but he always came across him wherever he went! Antonio was sinfully happy :his dark brown locks were wild, his green eyes glistened with excitement, and his smile was misleadingly caring.

"Hit listee, why did you ignore me back there? It was actually hurtful~", the 17 year old playfully brought a finger up to wipe an invisible tear, but all too soon the humorous moods dropped when Lovino didn't react to his little stunt. He was getting pretty use to it now; it has been about a few months since they officially met, and ever since day one, he had to put up with this assigned Hit Man, Antonio. Conversely, Antonio tilted his head in confusion, trying to comprehend the situation right now. This was not Lovino; this was not the thirteen year old temper headed freak that would threaten to kill him with a toothbrush.

Even if he was use to Antonio's behavior, he wasn't so use to controlling his temper. Anger slowly built up inside of him by the second, but he stopped himself from inching any closer to the older teenager before him. Balling his fits together, Lovino knees fell on the pebbled ground, forcibly reaching out his battered hands to touch the mash that accumulated on the ground. Correspondingly Antonio bent down to sit on the warm dry cement, peering at the Italian Hit Listee, hands cupped on each cheek -staring on with a look that was quite foreign to Lovino.

The Hit Listee glared at him, confused, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I wanted to tell you I won't be able to see you for a while." Lovino scooted the other way and continued cleaning with indignation. Antonio looked downward at the mess, "Sorry, I had to do something to keep you still- you'd never listen to me!" Lovino stopped cleaning to look up at Antonio as he watched the man squatted down besides him, picking up a pile of gush, "This was the only way I could talk to you without looking too suspicious, you know. It's dark enough so that no one will see us, and it's late enough so no one can easily catch u-"

Antonio was cut off by Lovino's cantankerous tantrum, as he shoved a scoop of mash tomato in Antonio's face, "Well, your plan was stupid. You could've done something else instead of waste perfectly good food, bastardo!"

"Really, Tomate? I told you to call me boss!" Antonio wiped the bits and pieces off of his face, flicking Lovino's temple with his forefinger, utterly ticked off by Lovino's behavior, "That was all I asked for -come on just say it once?"

"No! You do not deserve my recognition!" Under these circumstances it would be realistic for Lovino to celebrate and relax, knowing that the man that is supposed to kill him was leaving.

Yet his small grin began to falter into a frown of disapproval; he would be alone once more if Antonio leaves. Those cold and dark days, alone by himself, wondering when he was going to leave the disciplinary hall, all because of his futile attempt to escape. After about a month of being in that cramped room Antonio, his assigned Hit Man, persuaded one of the government official to release Lovino, under his watch to do labor work -until the day comes that Lovino wasn't of any use. To this day, Lovino still has yet to find out the true purpose of Antonio's decision to free him.

Lovino hates to admit it, as ironic as it may be, Antonio might be his only friend: the same man that was assigned to kill him someday was his friend. But he was not going to say it because that would be pitiful if that were to slip out right now. Lovino scooped the last bit of tomato paste off of the floor with his drenched sleeve, placing the chucks back into the basket. The scent of tomatoes clogged the night air, as Lovino stood up to stretch his back ,waiting for that oncoming 'pop' to loosen up his muscles. Satiated, he picked up the basket, made sure that the area was clean enough, and then turned around making his way to the back door of the neighboring building just behind them, "I am going to take my leave now!" His legs carried him for a few steps before hearing Antonio speak once more,

"Señor Tomate, you do know what that means right?"

Lovino paused dead in his tracks; he didn't bother to turn around. Nevertheless he stood there waiting for his nightmare to come true. He could hear the older man get up, follow the same identical footsteps that lead up to him, as he finished what he started, "I am no longer your assigned Hit Man. I am geting replaced for a drastic reason."

A soft breeze hit his skin, causing goose bumps to form on Lovino's exposed flesh. Whispers from the wind were heard, constantly howling low like a ragged whistle that was playing harmoniously in his ears. Already, he felt lonely, and abandoned. He gathered all the little courage he had and turned around slowly to face him. There he was with that misleading smile; his poker face. They stood a few feet away from each other, in silence, only listening to the comfort of nature's music: the rustles of the leaves the on and off 'hoots' of owls.

Without conscious of doing this, Lovino opened his mouth to unexpectedly ask a question that his heart was dying to know, "What is your reason?"

Antonio's lip tugged upwards as let the palm of his hand hit the top of Lovino's dark brown hair, "Since I am no longer assigned to you, it won't hurt to tell you", his smile fell as he dropped his hand back to his side, "I was convicted being in a homosexual affair with you."

_Homosexual affair with him? _Lovino crinkled his nose in disguised, backing away from the man before him, "That is preposterous! I don't like guys! I like girls-no I love _**girls!**_ How can someone think that?" He felt his cheeks get hotter and hotter by the second as he continued to to go on a rampage of how crazy this was.

"Relax. They only convicted me because they didn't want me to get too friendly with you." Lovino let out a secret sigh of relief as he looked on, to see Antonio gazing up to view the countless of stars that was in the sky, admiring the beauty of them, "Recently a Hit Man Listee and a Hit Man fell in love with each other…"

_**Ba-dump.**_

Lovino stood there, well captivated, listening to his own heart beat. _Love.. _They were in a similar situation like them right? Except for the love part that is… they are friends; friends that so happens to be in a crappy relationship that forces them to hate each other. That was what Lovino hoped Antonio viewed him, as a friend. Antonio's brilliant emerald eyes traveled the night sky, while Lovino stared at him in awe, watching carefully as the moonlight gave Antonio an unearthly glow."The Hit Man betrayed his country for a girl that he recently met. He fought for her safety, and even disowned his dictator," he halted to scratch the back of his head, "to think that I will be working with him soon. And at the end, the girl died. She couldn't escape death even if they went to hell and back, they can't change fate… love is..." Antonio broke his gaze to let his light green eyes wander in Lovino's brown orbs with a smirk, "...stupid, huh?" Awkwardly, Lovino nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I guess so…"

_No, love is what makes the world go round, so why am I pitifully agreeing with him?_

"I shall say my biddings," Antonio stuck out his black gloved hand, "It was quite remarkable having a little childish play to help me forget the job! It could get rather depressing you know." Lovino really didn't know what to say, _'Thanks for not killing me!'_ no too straightforward…_ 'See you when I'm dead!' _God that would be depressing… Lovino grabbed the larger reaching hand and Antonio slowly began to tighten up his grip.

_**Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.**_

His heart was beating uncontrollable fast while his breathing hitched every time he tried to say something. Beginning to feel his cheeks heat up, hung his head low enough to break eye contact. Turning away he quickly shook Antonio's hand and crossed his arms at his chest, "Sure. Whatever… And thanks for being my f-" he had to think before he said it. Slammering and silently cursing he looked down and started fiddled with his ring on his hand. _This was too embarrassing! _Shutting his eyes, he mentally counted to three before gaining the strength to open his eyes and tell him, "THANK YOU FOR BEING MY F-!" Antonio wasn't there anymore… Lovino was confronted by the still gardens that surrounded him in the moonlight, followed by the refilling fountain that was in the middle of the garden.

Lovino turned behind him, and then stood at his previous stance, "Damn it!" his eyesight began to get blurry, as the tears gradually began falling carelessly down his face. This was uncool -guys don't cry, unless it's Feliciano. He was fighting the urge to walk back inside of the building, feeling his face tense up, preparing himself for the impact of emotions that clouded his heart. Gripping the knob of the back door, he turned around to see the beautiful garden that he and Antonio started. "You should've let me finish you-" He brought a hand up to wipe away the tears, to stop them from falling, but failed as soft whimpers escaped his lips. "Idiot…"

...

Church stained windows lightened the room covering Lovino and the guards with a colorful veil. It was empty and quiet, clearly silent enough to hear the echoes of their moving feet. Today was Sunday, the day that the officials agreed to let Lovino go to a nearby catholic church, only if he listens and respects his new Hit Man. It has been about a good week since the dispatch of Antonio, and Lovino's life has been pretty dull. It has been the same continuous schedule: clean, eat, sleep, pray.

Earlier that day, in the morning, his daily routine was untimely interrupted when one of the uniformed guards confronted him. Even if Lovino didn't want to follow the man, he didn't have a say-so of whether or not he wanted to go, thus he followed the taller and broader man out of the garden, where he was doing most of his chores at, to enter into something rare: the front double doors. He was prohibited to go through the front. That was for the higher ups, not for people like him. Lovino hesitantly took the first upward step to the staircase, that revealed two butlers awaiting for them to greet and open the front door. The next step sent an impulsive wave of worry; this will be the first he has ever made it into the main quarters, the home of the dictator...

They entered inside the main house in the complex, and Lovino watched the man that he was to follow state his greetings to other wandering guards, that they so happened to bump into a few momentary seconds after entering. After their small chat, the guards made their way to Lovino's direction. Bracing himself for any source of pain he tighten his eyes shut together, stiffly standing up straight, and balled the hand that wore the ring that Grandpa Roma provided for them. At the exact moment the few guards passed him, they glanced at each other, and were downright confused by the actions of the Hit Man. They shrugged it off, smiled at him, and then walked off to their designated posts.

Lovino revolved around to overlook the back heads of the passing men, in disturbance. This was the first time in months that he was given total recognition, so why now? The guard began walking, leaving Lovino vainly behind. The teenager paced slowly taking in his surroundings. Black shiny floor tiles hit the heel and the toe of his work boots, draping white curtains blocked the welcoming sun exclusively giving the room a grey tinge. An unlit chandelier was hung up in the middle of the ceilinged room, as Lovino halted to stand in front of the large hanging pictures. Pictures hung neatly across the walls of previous dictators to the present one: a woman. The painted picture complemented her waving brown locks that were pinned up in a wavy bun. She had a serious face, with sharp green eyes, a little similar to Antonio's features -but less tense. He was sure that if she were to smile, or maybe give out a hearty laugh, she would look like Antonio.

"Hey! We don't have all day!" the guard was at the elevator placing his hand on the scanner to open up the doors, impatiently murmuring a few things that went along like, "Hurry up" or "He is wasting my time." Going up and down the elevator was their only source of transportation to go on multiple floors. Lovino looked away from the portrait to face him, and then back to the artwork again. "Yes, I'm coming…" he parted away and letted the name plate below the picture burn in his mind. _Clarissa Carriedo Fernandez… _That was the dictator of Spain. He made his way to the elevator, and awaited for the guard to close the door making the automatic machine make a _'ching' _sound.

Once they arrived on the right floor, Lovino was escorted by several other guards that were waiting for their arrival. Lovino followed them to the only door that was on the floor. The metal door was very systematic, containing dozens of locks and cameras that was scattered about in the wide hallway. With the quickness, all of the codes were cracked by the opposite member that was behind the door. The guards nodded to each other and guided Lovino into the substantial room, seating him down a dozen feet away from the desk, a middle-aged man was seated reading a few documents and paper work, typing a few notes on his laptop. When the guards left and exited the room, Lovino nervously sat there looking ahead of him, waiting for the man to look up to acknowledge his existence.

"Do you recall anyone telling you that you will be receiving a new Hit Man, right?" The man never looking away from his laptop finally glanced up to view the teenager before him.

He was testing Lovino. He knew that whatever Lovino said, he will use against him. Antonio and Lovino weren't supposed to meet that night, nor were to communicate either. Lovino thought about his answer before retorting back, "No, I was not aware…"

"Good", he got up to go to his impressive book shelf to slide his finger on a few books before pulling out the one he wanted. "Today you are going to meet the newly allocated Hit Man. You are to respect him and listen to him. We won't be so easy on you like the first few months of your entrance," he flipped a few pages out of the book, eventually stopping the motion of the pages with his finger.

"Yes sir, but I must ask you only one favor," Lovino looked down, to think how he should word this. The official arched his brow, and set his book on his desk. He walked around the coffee table that separated the two, and sat down on it, "Spit it out. Just say it, but it can't be nothing major like freeing you."

"No! It's nothing like that…", he shook his head and sat up straight, "I was going to ask if I could visit a Church once per week, on Sunday." The official stared at him, creating an unmanageable silence before standing up and walking back to his desk, "We can make it happen. You can start going today to start things off," he grabbed his coffee mug that was sitting on his coaster. Bringing the cup to his lips he paused; his eyes flickered, "But if you try to escape you will be punished by law." Lovino nodded and with a signal from the official, the guards came in and took him away from the room, back to the main floor, and back into the garden.

_But if you try to escape you will be punished by law_. Lovino gulped after replaying that memory… It was his only chance out of the estate, but was it really worth it? He grabbed his hose and began watering the crops, as he thought about what was coming later on that day.

So here he was now. Praying to God in the hopes that the escape will work. He got up and finishes his plea, and mentally started counting the guards that were watching him. Two were at the door, eight were scattered about in the sanctuary, five were outside the building, and his new Hit Man was sitting right beside him. He was recently assigned to him, but they hadn't spoken a _word _to each other. The Hit Man looked like he was in his mid-twenties: black hair, brown eyes, olive skin which was similar to his complexion. What was a way to gain respected privacy; what was a way to have guaranteed alone time? His eyes traveled across the room when he spotted the restroom sign. Lovino smirked, and then tapped the neighboring man's shoulder, "Hey, I have to use the bathroom. May I go?" The man grunted before sighing, "Yes, you may." When they got up the guards were alert and followed their movements. Lovino glanced behind him and noticed that all fifteen guards were following him and the Hit Man.

When Lovino entered the one man bathroom, he closed the door and began to hear the Hit Man instruct some orders to the guards, "If you hear a sound figure out what he is doing in there…" Lovino looked around the bathroom to see if there was some sort of opening, but sadly all that was on the walls was one mirror above the sink and a few small crosses. He looks into the mirror to see if there was anything off about it. Raising his hands to the frame of the mirror he felt a shift and saw the outside. He gasped.

"What's that noise?! What is going on in there?!" Lovino could hear the guards twist the door knob. He felt his palms get sweaty, and his heart beat get faster. _Crap, got to think of something quick._

On the opposite end of the door, they swung the door open to reveal Lovino sitting on the toilet with his legs crossed, "What the hell are you doing!?"

The Hit Man quickly shut the door, "My apologies!"

Lovino sighed and pulled his pants back up to proceed what he started. He gripped his hands on the frame of the mirror and pulled it towards him very slowly until he finally got the whole thing out. He placed it on the sink, and carefully got himself up on the sink to kick his leg out the opening. He leaped out of the window like gap, and quickly placed the mirror back in.

Running. Freedom. Fear. Excitement. Those were the things that was revolving around Lovino's mind as he was finally and successfully escaping. He didn't know where he was running but all he knew was that he was _**free**_. But where should he hide? Who will help him? He has never gotten this far before, so he really hasn't been putting any thought into this. If he ran into the open plain, it would be easy for them to spot and shot him down. If he runs into the city, he could ask people how to get to the next country, but he has to be careful not to look too suspicious.

Then it was final. He is going to go in town to get connections to leave the country, and back to Italy. He made his way down the hill and into the busy streets of Madrid, the capital. It looked fairly similar to what you'll see in Italy: food carts, smiling faces,and great scenery. He began walking, and accidentally bumping into the rushing and passing citizens. They would say their quick "sorry" and continue on with their merry lives. While walking he heard something very familiar. He really couldn't put his finger on it ,but he remembers this tune. He followed it. After some turns and traveling across the outermost part of the city, following the tune inched him closer and closer to the middle of the town, and then ultimately finding the source of the musical instrument.

The closer he got, he started to hear voices sing the melody, along with the tune. He made his way around the final building to hear cheers and shouts from a huge amount of people; they surrounded a circular stage and sang and danced. Lovino looked around and took in this warm feeling, but stopped himself when he forgot his true goal. He walked up to a dancing young woman, who was serving Spanish cuisines to everyone in the crowd._ What the heck was going on? _He approached her over the food stand, smelling the delicious foods that were a lot better than what they fed him in the estate.

"You want one?" Lovino looked up to see that the same young lady offering him a bite. "Ah- no thank you. I ha-"

"Wha-! You don't want to try this! My brother specially made this for everyone on our independence day. This has been the forty-seventh year that our world has been safe by our dictators?"

"That is great and all, but-", the young women snuck the food in his mouth forcibly, as she watched him chew and then swallow. "So-, How is it?"

Lovino's eyes sparked in happiness. This was the first time in a long time that he had real food, "My God, this is amazing!"

She smiled, "Yep my hermano, is the best cook around," then her cheery smile fell, "If only mother could appreciate him as much as I do… My name is Agalia, its origin means bright and joy." She gave him a plate of food, which he accepted gratefully, "I can't share my name, sorry." Agalia nodded in an understanding motion, and went right back to what she was saying, "Right now my brother is on a vacation from work. He told me it has been stressing him out very much to the point he _asked _our mother to get a break from the job."

Lovino wiped his mouth with a napkin, and took a sip of water. He was indeed interested, so he carried on the conversation with a question, "What jobs do your brother and mother have?"

Her hand stopped serving a scoop of rice before resuming, "I can't say…" she gave the plate to a little girl bidding her off with a grin, "But you can meet him! I will tell him that you adored his cooking." Agalia straighten out her wavy brown locks that were from her green eyes. Lovino froze. Brown wavy hair and green eyes? These were the same feature that Antonio and the dictator have. Don't tell him that, "Are you somehow related to Antonio?"

She clapped her hands together and gave him a cheeky grin, "So you know my brother!" Lovino carried on, "And is your mother _Clarissa Carriedo Fernandez_?"

Her metal container that was once in her hands dropped on the floor, denting it, "H-How do you know that?" Now that Lovino clearly looks at her face, she does look exactly like Antonio, yet the only difference is that her face was puggier compared to Antonio's cut features. Her hair was in a low ponytail leaving the rest of her hair flow in the wind, and her bang swooped neatly across her face.

"May I please talk to him?"

She stopped to think for a moment before saying, "Follow me." Lovino grabbed his plate and cup and started to follow Agalia out of the party and into a neighborhood. They passed by many houses before turning to enter into a decent sized house. She dug into her pocket to find her key, until the door swung open revealing Antonio with a bunch of cooking supplies, "Hey Agalia, help me out with this-" He stared at the slightly smaller figure behind her, in shock. "Antonio, don't freak out. We need to talk with him…"

...

"Wait so let me get this straight. You ran away from the new Hit Man!? You're going to get killed!" Antonio rubbed his temples in frustration, "My God! What the fu-!"

Agalia smacked him on the arm, "Language!"

The Spaniard man glared at his older sister, and reformed his sentence, "Why would you run away like that when you clearly know that you will be punished by the law!?" Lovino paused and explained, "For freedom. I can't stand the thought of wondering when I am going to die hands of your mother. I miss my brother, Feliciano. I don't even know if he is okay! I miss being a normal teenager! I miss having friends and having stupid teachers! I miss being free...", the table was silent after that. Lovino breathing was ragged and he felt a wave of tears coming.

"Fine, I will help you out. I am no longer your Hit Man anyway," Antonio got up from his seat to go upstairs.

Agalia got up to stop him,"Antonio, what are you doing!?" Her younger brother ignored her and went inside of his room, grabbing what seemed like a hand knife. "Antonio! Get down here! You're not going to do that here, are you? " Antonio looked at the oddly shaped knife, "If I am going to help him, we have to get the tracker device out. Agalia start the vehicle, and get Lovino ready. We have to get as far away as possible so that they don't track us back to this location." He went to the bathroom and got towels, rubbing alcohol, and tweezers, "Agalia are you down down there!?" She replied back, signaling that it was time to go.

Lovino and Agalia was in the back seat with all of the necessary supplies to perform the quick and illegal operation. Antonio entered and sat in the front seat, starting up the car, "Agalia, are you ready? We are going to travel the countryside in circles. It takes the track device one hour to send a location back to the estate," he started up the car and began driving out the garage, "Meaning if we are constantly driving, it'll be harder, and it'll take longer to get an exact location."

"Hold up-! You want me to take the tracker while you're driving!?" Agalia whined.

"Precisely."

The city soon transformed into the country in the matter of minutes, as Lovino felt Agalia rub the rubbing alcohol on the back of his neck getting ready to stick the knife into his flesh. "Is the pain medication kicking in?"

Lovino shook his head, "No." The young lady nodded and repeatedly place new layers of alcohol on his skin, "We can wait..."

"Agalia you have to do it now," Antonio protested.

"Antonio let's just wait until the medication knocks him out!"

Antonio looked adjusted the mirror and looked into it, "You know that we can't do that. You have to start now!"

Defeatly, Agalia grabbed the towels to lay it on her lap, and laid Lovino's head down. Lovino looked up at her, eyes showing fear,"Will it hurt?" Antonio looked the other way and turned the radio on, channeling it to the classical song, _Pachelbel Canon D_ ,turning it up loud. Agalia bounded his arms together, wrapped her legs around his waist, and pinned his head down with her right hand, "Yes it will."

The knife dug into his skin, as whimpers escaped Lovino's lips. It was bearable at first until she got deeper, and finally hitting the chip. A bolt of pain hit his neck as the electronic buzzed in his back neck, "Ahh!" The music muffled most of his cries, and shouts of "No more!" He started kicking and and squirming in the grasp of Agalia. The specially made knife began digging the chip out, carefully making sure that it doesn't hit the spine. Blood began to soak the towels and Agalia's lap as she stopped once more to pin the screaming teen's head. She grabbed the bottle rubbing alcohol, and began to pour onto the small gap on his neck, causing him to kick Antonio in the back. Thus this made the 17 year old Spaniard get slightly off of the road, catching Agalia and Lovino off guard. Agalia mistakenly lost her grip on Lovino, and watched as Lovino broke out of her grip.

"Relax! Calm down, I am almost done!"

Agalia did the same routine that she once did earlier to pin him down, but one of his hands was still in the way. A hand reached to grab Lovino's problematic one. Lovino's hazing teary eyed vision accepted the hand. "I won't pull away. Release as much of your pain. You don't have to do this alone Tomate. I am here for you."

The clip was finally loose enough to be pulled out by the tweezers. It was out and Lovino was happy that that the sharp stinging pain was now declined, and Antonio was happy that his hand was no longer being tormented. Antonio sighed, "What we have to do next it get an animal."

Agalia started bandaging Lovino up, patting him on the head if she ever gets the chance to do so, "That's smart. If we get an animal we can put the tracker on it so that we could lose them, and it'll give us enough time to take him home… Or maybe we should break it."

"It's not easy. You need special equipment to bend it once. And even if you did want gone forever, you have to disable it. We don't have the power to do that, but nice idea though."

They reached their destination, and sighed altogether. Lovino will be safe. Antonio got out of the car to enter the small shop, "Agalia. I want you to look after Tomate, okay?" He looked at the boy that was on his sister's lap and smiled, "We will help you find your home. Get better soon -because it's no fun bullying a crippled person, right?" Lovino smiled back, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being my friend."

Antonio grinned, and waved off, entering the shop. Seconds to minutes passed, as they waited for Antonio to come back. "You were supposed to lose all of your memories of when the clip was implanted in you to when I took it out. You're something special…" she patted his head while looking at her tinted watch, "Antonio's been in there for a while. I'll be right back to check on him, okay." Lovino reached out for her and gripped her dress, "Wait, don't go…" "Relax, I will be back!" She helped Lovino sit up, and took her leave.

Everything was getting too quiet. Lovino is very tempted to get out of the car himself to check out what was going, but his neck was sore every time he turned or moved it. Therefore, he was forced to stay seated. He hummed the melody from the radio, until he started to hear excessive noise from the background. Looking forward into the rearview mirror, he spotted dozens of black trucks driving in full speed this way. That was when it hit him, they were coming, "Antonio! Agaia!" They were coming. He looked into the mirror again to find them almost near the shop. At the exact same moment Antonio and Agalia came out of the store carrying a black small kitten. When they looked out to see the incoming group of cars coming this way, their eyes widen. They ran to the car and got in it ready to go. Antonio stepped on the gas pedal and began to drive off.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"The fuck! They have guns!" Antonio cried.

"Of course they have guns idiot! They are the government trying to get Lovino back!" His sister protested.

The car began to go slower and slower, causing Agalia to panic, "Why are you going slower !? Aren't we trying to save Lovino!?" Antonio press the gas pedal harder, but it continued to move get slower, "Damn it they shot a tire! No, No, No! Come on!" He slams his hand on the wheel as the car came to a complete stop. "You got to kidding... Damn it!" His head fell and rested on the top wheel, as he grabbed his head murmuring a few curse words. Lovino has never seen this side of Antonio, it scared him. For the light-hearted goofy Antonio to lose his cool like this, wasn't a good sign, "I'm sorry guys! I-I-I didn't mean to harm you! I-I'm so sorry!" Lovino was starting to lose it, this has been the first time he has experienced upcoming death.

Agalia banged the top ceiling of the car to stop the whining boys, "Stop it! None of you are going to die, so stop this right now!" She grabbed Antonio's shoulder to spin him around to face him, and grabbed Lovino's hand to comfort him, "Let big sister Agalia handle your burdens. When they do arrive respect them, and listen to them. I am going to make sure they don't hurt you guys," she smiled and leaned over to kiss Antonio on the forehead, before parting away. Then she lightly flicked Lovino's s forehead, a common sign of affection in her mind. Antonio once did that to him…

Unexpectedly the door flung open and a soldier yanked Agalia out the car, by the collar, separating them. "Get away from her!" Antonio got out of the car, and started running towards her,"Hey are you alright?"

She rose up looking at her brother with disapproval, "I told you that I am going to handle this! Promise me something, save the Hit Listee. I know he did not do anything wrong. He is just a child, and he is already experience hell on earth!"

A soldier stepped forward to Antonio, handing him a gun, "Antonio son of the dictator, come back to the estate and resume working as a Hit Man of the Hit Man Listee, Lovino Vargas, and shoot this traitor down! Or if you don't, you will all be labeled as a traitor, and there will be a public execution for the both of you. If you try to revolt against us we'll snipe you. Your choice."

Antonio stared at the gun and then at his sister, "Agalia I can't do this to you. I can't." Standing up, Agalia cupped her hands in his face and smiled, "Let big sister Agalia handle this…" His tears rolled down her hand as Antonio's shivering hand raised the gun towards her. "Turn around; I will make this painless Agalia…" Hics and sobs were heard as she turned around facing away from her brother, "I love you, little brother."

"I-I love", he rested the tip of the gun at the right spot of her neck, "I love you too."

BANG!

Antonio fell on his knees as he crawled to his sister's corpse, crying and repeatedly saying sorry. He hugged her and tightens his grip around the body, rocking her, as the soldiers began to pull him off of her. "W-wait! No! Five more minutes -no one! Please I would like to be with her a little longer! NO!"

Lovino sat there and watched it all happen. He watched Agalia last expression before she died. She was smiling, looking at him. Guilt flushed his heart as he began crying in the van. It was his fault…

...

Lovino's public punishment was getting set up at the time square. People that were once celebrating life, freedom, independence were now going to witness him at his misery. He had once believed that this lawful punishment was scary, but now he believes that he deserved it. The death of Agalia will always play vividly in his mind; the sight of Antonio weeping for his sister, it would always play vividly in his mind.

Now it was Antonio's chance to get his payback, for being the reason and the cause of her death. Everyone threw trash, calling him ungrateful names. He deserved this. He has to bear through it... The announcer came up to read his decree, causing everyone to be dead silent, "Lovino Vargas has been convicted for escaping his crimes. By law the Hit Man of the Hit Man Listee is permitted to give him or her fifty lashes." Once the man was done, he nodded to the soldiers to start tying him up to get started.

Antonio walked up to Lovino and leaned down, "I'm so sorry…"

SNAP!

"Ahh!" Tears began to form in his eyes as the whip hit his back. The pain was far worse than any before, and he could hear Antonio's constant 'sorrys' for each lash of the whip he was given.

SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

Why is the world so cruel that they must punish the innocent? The cries of Lovino, the whip lashes, he was the cause of it. Antonio entered the servant's quarter with ointment, a bucket, of water and a towel to clean Lovino up. He approached the door that was heavily guarded, and with the recognition of his face they let him through. Just today they had changed Lovino's wooden door into a steel one; he typed in the code to get through the door and closed it right behind him.

Antonio's heart ached when he saw the sight before him. Skin was torn off Lovino's bare back, as Antonio heard the hitching of his breathing increased. The Spaniard shakingly grabbed the only chair in the room, and sat it next to Lovino's bed, "I am going to clean you up, okay," he forcibly smiled at him trying to control his emotions. Lovino tilted his head to Antonio's direction, fighting the soreness from his neck, "So you are not mad with me?"

Gulping to compose himself and hold back tears, Antonio shakingly smiles, "No. I'm not," he applied the cool green ointment after cleaning the blood off his back. "Why would I?"

Lovino forced himself to get up, sobbing, "Thank God… Thank you for being my friend Antonio," he stuck out his hand to show his gratitude, but was rejected when Antonio pulled him in for a hug, making sure that he didn't hurt Lovino. "You idiot! Don't say those things when I was the one who caused you pain! You should be the one upset! I should be the one saying sorry!"

"Thanks for being my friend…"

"Stop that… please. If you don't, you'll only hurt us both…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yeah! You see what I did there? <strong>_

_**You know how Feliciano's story took like four chapters? (=`w =)**_

_**Yep, making Lovino's story into two chapters! (^ o ^)~**_

_**You'll be able to read more with a lesser wait, how does that sound?**_

_**I would like to thank my editors lmaolevi AND FrauWolf!**_

_**ALSO lmaolevi has a story that is posted, please check it out!**_

_**AND FrauWolf is planning on posting a story too!**_

_**I would love to know what were the reactions for this chapter! ~**_

_**~Animefreak~(6w6)**_`(I have been slacking on my revision on the other chapters)

IMPORTANT

[ED/N - FrauWolf] Hello everyone, this FrauWolf. This is just a heads up that following this chapter, the rating will most likely be changed to M due to the graphic content, intense violence, and gore that's going to happen in the later chapters. This isn't a cute story, and it is going to get very brutal. I have been giving Animefreak a whole lot of ideas, and I am a rather morbid person, so the characters suffer an awful lot from my suggestions, especially in this chapter and in the next. The story I'm currently working on is much less miserable and angsty though, and I'm going to try and post it once I finish it all up. It's a Gauken Hetalia story featuring Hungary, Japan, and Taiwan, and it'll be five chapters if my plan works out. The first two chapters are already done, and there will be various pairings. Lmaolevi is currently writing as well, having the first chapter of a Gerita fanfic posted, and some other things she's working on. Animefreak herself has a bunch of things that she's working on, but she wants to finish The Hit List first. Levyyeeger, another friend of ours, has some crackfics that she has posted. Thank you for reading this, we all appreciate the support this story has been given, and we look forward to writing more. =3


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